In vitro and in vivo Application of PLGA Nanofiber for Artificial Blood Vessel

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) tubes (5 mm in diameter) were fabricated using an electro spinning method and used as a scaffold for artificial blood vessels through the hybridization of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) differentiated from canine bone marrow under previously reported conditions. The potential clinical applications of these artificial blood vessels were investigated using a canine model. From the results, the tubular-type PLGA scaffolds for artificial blood vessels showed good mechanical strength, and the duallayered blood vessels showed acceptable hybridization behavior with ECs and SMCs. The artificial blood vessels were implanted and substituted for an artery in an adult dog over a 3-week period. The hybridized blood vessels showed neointimal formation with good patency. However, the control vessel (unhybridized vessel) was occluded during the early stages of implantation. These results suggest a shortcut for the development of small diameter, tubular-type, nanofiber blood vessels using a biodegradable material (PLGA).