Physiological cyclic stretching potentiates the cell-cell junctions in vascular endothelial layer formed on aligned fiber substrate.
Biomater Adv
; 157: 213751, 2024 Feb.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38219418
ABSTRACT
In vascular tissue engineering, formation of stable endothelial cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesions is essential for maintaining long-term patency of the tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs). In this study, sheet-like aligned fibrous substrates of poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) were prepared by electrospinning to provide basement membrane-resembling structural support to endothelial cells (ECs). Cyclic stretching at physiological and pathological levels was then applied to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured on chosen fibrous substrate using a force-loading device, from which effects of the cyclic stretching on cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesions were examined. It was found that applying uniaxial 1 Hz cyclic stretch at physiological levels (5 % and 10 % elongation) strengthened the cell-cell junctions, thus leading to improved structural integrity, functional expression and resistance to thrombin-induced damaging impacts in the formed endothelial layer. The cell-cell junctions were disrupted at pathological level (15 % elongation) cyclic stretching, which however facilitated the formation of focal adhesions (FAs) at cell-substrate interface. Mechanistically, the effects of cyclic stretching on endothelial cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesions were identified to be correlated with the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway. Results from this study highlight the relevance between applying dynamic mechanical stimulation and maintaining the structural integrity of the formed endothelial layer, and implicate a necessity to implement appropriate dynamic mechanical training (i.e., preconditioning) to obtain tissue-engineered blood vessels with long-term patency post-implantation.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Adhesiones Focales
/
Uniones Intercelulares
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biomater Adv
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China