23/10/2020

Researchers from the Bioengineering Institute of Technology develop a 3D structure that simulates an artery

The study and its methodology have produced a structure similar to that of a blood vessel, presenting high cell viability and allows for the proliferation and natural alignment of vascular cells

The researchers Èlia Bosch, Luis Delgado, Xavier Gil and Román Pérez from the Bioengineering Institute of Technology have managed to develop a 3D structure of bilayered hollow fibres capable of maintaining and reproducing endothelial cells in the inner layer and smooth muscle cells in the outer layer. The study titled “Direct extrusion of individually encapsulated endothelial and smooth muscle cells mimicking blood vessel structures and vascular native cell alignment”, was recently published in the journal Biofabrication.
 
The discovery represents a step toward finding alternatives to surgically treating heart disease, one of the principal causes of worldwide death. “By using hydrogels and polymers, we have managed to successfully develop bilayered hollow fibres that mimic the architecture of native blood vessels” explained Èlia Bosch, the article’s leading author.  
 
The cells introduced into this structure are also capable of aligning themselves in the same way they would in a real blood vessel and without having to apply perfusion stimuli. “This achievement is particularly significant in the case of smooth muscle cells, as their concentric alignment facilitates vasoconstriction and vasodilation, two important processes that regulate arterial pressure”, stated the researcher. These 3D structures have proven to be stable and capable of maintaining a tubular structure, therefore allowing the introduction of specific vascular cells found in the arteries such as endothelial and smooth muscle cells.
 
The left image shows the endothelial cells (HUVEC) in the inner layer, and the right image shows the smooth muscle cells (HASMC) in the outer layer of the blood vessel
 
“The extrusion-based methodology we applied allows blood vessels to develop quicker than with any other method and achieves homogeneous structures that are easier to reproduce”, added Bosch.