A Radiation-Crosslinked Gelatin Hydrogel That Promotes Tissue Incorporation of an Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Vascular Graft in Rats

Abstract

A prosthetic vascular graft that induces perigraft tissue incorporation may effectively prevent serious sequelae such as seroma formation and infection. Radiation-crosslinked gelatin hydrogel (RXgel) mimics the chemical and physical properties of the in vivo extracellular matrix and may facilitate wound healing by promoting tissue organization. Fibroblasts cultured on RXgel actively migrated into the gel for up to 7 days. RXgels of three different degrees of hardness (Rx[10], soft; Rx[15], middle; Rx[20], hard) were prepared, and small disc-like samples of RXgels were implanted into rats. In vitro and in vivo results indicated that Rx[10] was too soft to coat vascular grafts. Thus, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) vascular grafts coated with RXgel were developed using Rx[15] and Rx[20] gels, and ring-shaped slices of the graft were implanted into rats. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and type III collagen (Col-III) levels were detected by immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining for SMA and Col-III demonstrated that RXgel-coated vascular grafts induced more granulation tissue than non-coated grafts on days 14 and 28 after implantation. RXgel-coated ePTFE vascular grafts may provide a solution for patients by reducing poor perigraft tissue incorporation.

Review of Polymeric Biomimetic Small-Diameter Vascular Grafts to Tackle Intimal Hyperplasia

“…Gelatin is denatured collagen, soluble in water, and proposed here as a low-cost alternative to soluble collagen. 84 Gelatin has relatively low antigenicity compared to collagen, and it possesses cell surface binding ligands RGD, which are favorable for cell adhesion. 85 Incorporating gelatin in potential vascular grafts or scaffolds increases the cell growth rate by providing the required hydrophilicity and is widely used with various materials such as PCL, 86 PLLA, 87 PLA, PU, 88 PLGA, 89 and PGA.…”

“…Gelatin is denatured collagen, soluble in water, and proposed here as a low-cost alternative to soluble collagen . Gelatin has relatively low antigenicity compared to collagen, and it possesses cell surface binding ligands RGD, which are favorable for cell adhesion .…”

Design and Synthesis of P(AAm-co-NaAMPS)-Alginate-Xanthan Hydrogels and the Study of Their Mechanical and Rheological Properties in Artificial Vascular Graft Applications

“…Currently, there are two existing methods for attaching hydrogel to ePTFE. One method involves employing plasma treatment to alter the ePTFE outer surface or a flat ePTFE surface, generating functional groups like hydroxyl groups, to facilitate bonding with the hydrogel [21,22]. Although this method enables the attachment of a hydrogel to the outer surface of an ePTFE graft or a flat ePTFE film, achieving functionalization of the luminal surface of an ePTFE vascular graft through plasma treatment remains highly challenging.…”