Abstract
To address the clinical need for readily available small diameter vascular grafts, biomimetic tubular scaffolds were developed for rapid in situ blood vessel regeneration. The tubular scaffolds were designed to have an inner layer that is porous, interconnected, and with a nanofibrous architecture, which provided an excellent microenvironment for host cell invasion and proliferation. Through the synthesis of poly(spirolactic-co-lactic acid) (PSLA), a highly functional polymer with a norbornene substituting a methyl group in poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), we were able to covalently attach biomolecules onto the polymer backbone via thiol-ene click chemistry to impart desirable functionalities to the tubular scaffolds. Specifically, heparin was conjugated on the scaffolds in order to prevent thrombosis when implanted in situ. By controlling the amount of covalently attached heparin we were able to modulate the physical properties of the tubular scaffold, resulting in tunable wettability and degradation rate while retaining the porous and nanofibrous morphology. The scaffolds were successfully tested as rat abdominal aortic replacements. Patency and viability were confirmed through dynamic ultrasound and histological analysis of the regenerated tissue. The harvested tissue showed excellent vascular cellular infiltration, proliferation, and migration with laminar cellular arrangement. Furthermore, we achieved both complete reendothelialization of the vessel lumen and native-like media extracellular matrix. No signs of aneurysm or hyperplasia were observed after 3 months of vessel replacement. Taken together, we have developed an effective vascular graft able to generate small diameter blood vessels that can function in a rat model.