Fabrication and In Vivo Evaluation of the Electrospun Small Diameter Vascular Grafts Composed of Elastin/PLGA/PCL and Heparin-VEGF

Abstract

Vascular scaffolds made of synthetic materials have been successfully used for many years for the revascularization of blood vessels with inner diameters >= 6 mm. However, small diameter vascular substitutes (<5 mm) have shown poor patency rates because of the occurrence of thrombosis. In this study, we investigated small diameter(similar to 3 mm) vascular grafts composed of elastin, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid : PLGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) fabricated by electrospinning techniques. In addition, heparin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were added to the scaffolds to prevent thrombosis on the target incision and promote endothelial cell growth on the surface of scaffolds. The arterial grafts of electrospun elastin/PLGA/PCL vascular prostheses in Sprague-Dawley rats were found to improve the recovery of the incised blood vessel function by promoting migration, attachment and proliferation of endothelial cells onto the vascular scaffolds, thus exploring the potential of electrospun polymer scaffold in vascular graft engineering.