AVS 51st International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Monday Sessions
       Session BI-MoP

Paper BI-MoP33
Interfacing Natural and Synthetic Biomaterials: Development of a Multilayered Vascular Scaffold

Monday, November 15, 2004, 5:00 pm, Room Exhibit Hall B

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: J.Y. Wong, Boston University
Authors: E.J. Taschner, Boston University
J.B. Leach, Boston University
J.Y. Wong, Boston University
Correspondent: Click to Email
One of the greatest challenges in designing functional small diameter vascular grafts is to mimic key arterial mechanical properties (e.g., strength and compliance). Our hypothesis is that the underlying scaffold organization is a crucial factor in cellular remodeling, and ultimately, the mechanical properties of biologic vascular grafts. Thus, the overall goal of our research is to develop a multilayered or lamellar vascular scaffold biomaterial that more closely mimics the organization of native artery extracellular matrix. Our approach is to seed vascular smooth muscle cells between layers of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA) thin films and naturally derived hydrogels (e.g., collagen, fibrin). However, the major challenge to the creation of such a multilayered scaffold is to promote stability and adhesion between the hydrogels and the relatively hydrophobic PLGA films. Therefore, to promote adhesion between the composite layers, the PLGA films were surface modified to contain specific highly reactive groups. First, the PLGA films were treated in NaOH to expose surface carboxylic acid and alcohol groups. Then, carbodiimide-mediated reactions were used to covalently bind photoreactive moieties to the PLGA films as well as the hydrogel precursor monomers. The film-cell-hydrogel composite constructs were assembled and then exposed to ultraviolet light to initiate the photopolymerization. We tested the adhesion between the layers using a modified peel/creep test that applied a constant "peel" force over time. The modified PLGA composites were associated with a significant amount of resistance to the peeling force while the unmodified PLGA controls failed instantaneously. We therefore demonstrate a promising method of creating stable, multilayered tissue scaffolds from composites of natural and synthetic biomaterials.