A biphasic elastomeric scaffold for tissue engineering a small-diameter blood vessel

Introduction Scaffolds used for tissue engineering should mimic the native structure of target tissues, gradually degrade with tissue formation, and coexist in a mechanically dynamic environment (sustain and recover from various deformations without mechanical irritations to the surrounding tissues[1, 2]). In the anatomy of a native blood vessel, endothelial cells are separated from surrounding smooth muscle cells (SMC) by the internal elastic lamina. To mimic this fact, we have fabricated a biphasic scaffold that recapitulates such cell compartmentalization in a tissue engineered construct. Herein, a newly developed biodegradable elastomeric polyester, poly(diol-co-citrate) is investigated for use as a scaffold material for this design. The biphasic scaffold consists of a solid, continuous phase enabling the formation of a monolayer of endothelia cells (EC) within the vessel lumen and a surrounding porous phase with inter-connective pore structure for SMC growth and differentiation. The scaffold was subjected to various characterization, including burst pressure as well as co-culture with SMC and EC. Cells attached, proliferated and were compartmentalized within the biphasic scaffold.