Engineering Vascular Grafts with Multiphase Structures

Abstract

Blood vessels in the body are multiphasic organs with microenvironmental niches specific to the cells that inhabit each section. Electrospinning is a fabrication technique used to produce nano- to microfibrous architectures capable of mimicking native extracellular matrix structure. Likewise, polycitrate elastomers are favorable luminal materials for vascular applications because of their hemocompatibility and mechanical properties. Here we describe the procedure for fabricating a biphasic polycitrate elastomer, collagen, and elastin electrospun composite to spatially tailor both composition and architecture for recapitulating the intimal and medial layers of the blood vessel in a vascular graft.

Keywords: Biphasic; Blood vessel; Collagen; Elastin; Electrospinning; Hemocompatible; Polycitrate elastomers; Tissue engineering; Vascular graft.