Potential of serum in creation of small-diameter vascular graft

• Main Author: Lim, Wee Keng
• Other Authors: Thirumaran s/o Thanabalu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69180
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the progression of tissue engineering, decellularization of vascular xenografts has gained increasing attention in hopes to provide affordable off-the-shelf small-diameter vascular grafts (SDVG) for urgent vascular replacements. Previous decellularization studies have shown that both fetal bovine serum (FBS) and human serum (HS) could remove nuclear materials from vascular matrix. However, no current study has compared both sera on their decellularization efficiency. It is also unknown whether matrix-bound growth factors in both sera could influence translatable bioactivity. In this study, we evaluated and compared the decellularization efficiency and bioactivity of decellularized porcine carotid arteries (PCA) from sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-only, FBS- and HS-mediated treatments. Our data suggest a further reduction in DNA and α-gal content from FBS- and HS-mediated decellularized PCA. Between both sera, immunohistochemical analysis indicated more α-gal removal with FBS. Moreover, decellularization with FBS and HS may have an effect on translatable bioactivity without adversely affecting collagen preservation. Together, our preliminary results encourage future studies to further explore the potential of incorporating serum into decellularization protocol for the creation of SDVG.