Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance, compatibility and application prospects of blood vessel tissue engineered scaffolds.
METHODS: Using “tissue engineering, scaffold materials, biocompatibility, performance, application” for the Chinese key words and “tissue engineering, intravascular stent, biocompatibility, performance, using” for the English key words, a computer search was performed between January 1993 and October 2009. Articles related with the biomaterials and tissue engineering blood vessels were included; repeated study or Meta analysis articles were excluded. There are 26 articles mainly discussing the types and properties of tissue engineered vascular materials.
RESULTS: The natural scaffolds have strong affinity with cells, can provide for cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and functioning with similar extracellular matrix scaffold condition as in vivo development, thus aggregating cells into tissues, controlling tissue structure, and regulating cell phenotype; immune rejection is very low, and compliance is good. But mechanical strength is relatively poor. Synthetic polymer scaffold has precise maneuverability, but lacks biological signals and functional groups in extracellular matrix, and poorly adhere to the seed cells; and some acid materials may generate in the degradation process, exhibiting some local effects; biological signals is absent, and the scaffold is not susceptible by cell recognition. In addition, the key to improve the biocompatibility of stents should be the blood compatibility and histocompatibility.
CONCLUSION: Although synthetic materials have become the research hotspot, but the compatibility after implantation are not good enough to met scaffold requirements, a confluence with tissue requires good cell affinity and similar mechanical properties with blood vessels. There is an urgent need for new materials to better meet the requirements of tissue engineered vascular stent and to achieve the purpose of repair and reconstruction.