Animal studies for the evaluation of in situ tissue-engineered vascular grafts — a systematic review, evidence map, and meta-analysis

Abstract

Vascular in situ tissue engineering (TE) is an approach that uses bioresorbable grafts to induce endogenous regeneration of damaged blood vessels. The evaluation of newly developed in situ TE vascular grafts heavily relies on animal experiments. However, no standard for in vivo models or study design has been defined, hampering inter-study comparisons and translational efficiency. To provide input for formulating such standard, the goal of this study was to map all animal experiments for vascular in situ TE using off-the-shelf available, resorbable synthetic vascular grafts. A literature search (PubMed, Embase) yielded 15,896 studies, of which 182 studies met the inclusion criteria (n = 5,101 animals). The reports displayed a wide variety of study designs, animal models, and biomaterials. Meta-analysis on graft patency with subgroup analysis for species, age, sex, implantation site, and follow-up time demonstrated model-specific variations. This study identifies possibilities for improved design and reporting of animal experiments to increase translational value.

Features of remodeling of newly formed vascular tissue based on biodegradable vascular prostheses implanted in the carotid artery of sheep: morphogenetic analysis

“…В качестве модели выбраны овцы, которые обладают схожей с человеком физиологией сердечно-сосудистой системы, особенно механизмов гемостаза. Считается, что овцы пригодны для «моделирования наихудшего случая» вследствие повышенной склонности их сосудов к тромбозу и кальцификации, что позволяет провести максимально строгое тестирование сосудистых протезов [16]. Плюс на модели, приближенной к человеку, гораздо эффективнее выявлять весь спектр возможных рисков несостоятельности разрабатываемого изделия; в нашем случае как минимум потому, что в сосудистое русло овцы можно вшить гораздо более длинный протез, который не сможет так же быстро эндотелизироваться, как на модели крыс.…”

A Novel Window into Angiogenesis—Intravital Microscopy in the AV-Loop-Model

“…However, providing microvasculature to thick tissues (>100-200 microns) is one of the main obstacles in the field of tissue engineering [4]. Although in vitro and ex vivo studies provide valuable results, tissue engineering mainly relies on performing in vivo experiments because of its clinical relevance [8,9,24].…”

Controlled and Synchronised Vascular Regeneration upon the Implantation of Iloprost- and Cationic Amphiphilic Drugs-Conjugated Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts into the Ovine Carotid Artery: A Proteomics-Empowered Study

“…Despite as many as 182 animal studies assessing the efficiency of TEVG implantation and 22 pre-clinical trials of various TEVGs (12 in the ovine and 10 in the porcine model) being carried out to-date [ 61 ], a vast majority of them suffered from a limited molecular understanding of the regeneration processes following the implantation. To address this common and critical shortcoming significantly restricting further progress in TEVG design, we have, for the first time, performed a proteomic profiling of biodegradable TEVGs and intact contralateral carotid arteries.…”