A modular vascularized tissue engineering construct containing smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells 1 edition

About the Book

A modular tissue engineered construct was fashioned to incorporate relevant cells and geometry to create functional vasculature. Endothelial cells (EC) were seeded on collagen cylinders (modules) containing encapsulated vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and randomly packed into a column, forming flow channels between the modules. This project aimed to establish and characterize EC-SMC interactions. Modules encapsulated with SMC displayed their characteristic morphology at seeding densities above 106 cells/mL collagen. Embedding umbilical vein smooth muscle cells (UVSMCs) cultured with 10% FBS (PM) showed an adverse effect on surface seeded EC junction morphology compared to EC seeded on collagen-only modules. Conversely, embedding SMCs cultured in serum-free medium (QM) improved EC junction morphology. Collagen contraction was only observed in modules embedded with PM-SMC. This suggests that embedded SMC phenotype plays an important role in surface seeded EC junction morphology, and that the response can be modulated by SMC culture medium serum concentration.