Adult human endothelial cell coverage of small-caliber Dacron and polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses in vitro.

Culture of endothelial cells on synthetic vascular grafts has heretofore met with limited success. We report here a technique which allows attachment and subsequent growth of adult human vascular endothelial cells on the synthetic materials polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Dacron which are currently used for vascular reconstructive surgery. Studies were conducted on both untreated materials and those pretreated with the extracellular matrix proteins collagen and fibronectin. Collagen was applied to the graft materials with positive pressure and then allowed to gel in the interstices. Fibronectin was added to the collagen-lined lumen followed by a cell suspension. Cell coverage on the grafts was assessed by scanning electron microscopy after various lengths of time. Cells adhered poorly to and did not grow on untreated Dacron and PTFE. Protein-treated materials did allow cell attachment and growth but with distinct differences. On PTFE (n = 30), cells could form a confluent monolayer within 9 days while cell coverage was generally incomplete at this time on the more irregular surface of Dacron (n = 5). Thus, adult human endothelial cells can grow on collagen- and fibronectin-coated prosthetic materials. This approach to lining graft materials in vitro may be useful in improving the performance of small-caliber vascular grafts.