Chen Wanwen, Liu Shangmin, Yang Junqing, Wu Yueheng, Ma Wentao, Lin Zhanyi
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong General Hospital.
Medical Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong General Hospital.
J Vis Exp. 2018 Oct 3(140):58040. doi: 10.3791/58040.
Engineered vascular grafts with structural and mechanical properties similar to natural blood vessels are expected to meet the growing demand for arterial bypass. Characterization of the growth dynamics and remodeling process of degradable polymer scaffold-based tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) with pulsatile stimulation is crucial for vascular tissue engineering. Optical imaging techniques stand out as powerful tools for monitoring vascularization of engineered tissue enabling high-resolution imaging in real-time culture. This paper demonstrates a nondestructive and fast real-time imaging strategy to monitor the growth and remodeling of TEBVs in long-term culture by using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Geometric morphology is evaluated, including vascular remodeling process, wall thickness, and comparison of TEBV thickness in different culture time points and presence of pulsatile stimulation. Finally, OCT provides practical possibilities for real-time observation of the degradation of polymer in the reconstructing tissues under pulsatile stimulation or not and in each vessel segment, by compared with the assessment of polymer degradation using scanning electron microscopic(SEM) and polarized microscope.
具有与天然血管相似的结构和力学性能的工程化血管移植物有望满足日益增长的动脉搭桥需求。对具有脉动刺激的基于可降解聚合物支架的组织工程血管（TEBVs）的生长动力学和重塑过程进行表征对于血管组织工程至关重要。光学成像技术作为监测工程组织血管化的强大工具脱颖而出，能够在实时培养中进行高分辨率成像。本文展示了一种无损且快速的实时成像策略，通过使用光学相干断层扫描（OCT）来监测长期培养中TEBVs的生长和重塑。评估了几何形态，包括血管重塑过程、壁厚，以及不同培养时间点TEBV厚度的比较和脉动刺激的存在情况。最后，与使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和偏光显微镜评估聚合物降解相比，OCT为实时观察脉动刺激或无脉动刺激下重建组织中聚合物的降解以及每个血管段提供了实际可能性。
