Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
Biomaterials. 2010 May;31(14):3840-7. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.01.104. Epub 2010 Feb 24.
To achieve the task of fabricating functional tissues, scaffold materials that can be sufficiently vascularized to mimic functionality and complexity of native tissues are yet to be developed. Here, we report development of synthetic, biomimetic hydrogels that allow the rapid formation of a stable and mature vascular network both in vitro and in vivo. Hydrogels were fabricated with integrin binding sites and protease-sensitive substrates to mimic the natural provisional extracellular matrices, and endothelial cells cultured in these hydrogels organized into stable, intricate networks of capillary-like structures. The resulting structures were further stabilized by recruitment of mesenchymal progenitor cells that differentiated into a smooth muscle cell lineage and deposited collagen IV and laminin in vitro. In addition, hydrogels transplanted into mouse corneas were infiltrated with host vasculature, resulting in extensive vascularization with functional blood vessels. These results indicate that these hydrogels may be useful for applications in basic biological research, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
为了实现制造功能性组织的任务，还需要开发能够充分血管化的支架材料，以模拟天然组织的功能和复杂性。在这里，我们报告了合成仿生水凝胶的开发，这些水凝胶允许在体外和体内快速形成稳定和成熟的血管网络。水凝胶是用整合素结合位点和蛋白酶敏感的底物来模拟天然的临时细胞外基质制成的，内皮细胞在这些水凝胶中培养成稳定的、错综复杂的毛细血管样结构网络。通过募集间充质祖细胞进一步稳定这些结构，这些细胞分化为平滑肌细胞系，并在体外沉积胶原蛋白 IV 和层粘连蛋白。此外，移植到小鼠角膜中的水凝胶被宿主血管浸润，导致广泛的血管化和功能性血管。这些结果表明，这些水凝胶可用于基础生物学研究、组织工程和再生医学等应用。
