A bioreactor with compliance monitoring for heart valve grafts.

ABSTRACT

The drawbacks of state-of-the-art heart valve prostheses lead researchers to explore the prospect of using tissue-engineered constructs as possible valve substitutes. It is widely accepted that the mechanical properties of the construct are improved with mechanical stimulation during in vitro growth. We designed a new dynamic bioreactor with the perspective of using decellularized valve homografts as scaffolds in order to produce tissue-engineered valve substitutes. The design guidelines were (a) compatibility with the procedures for the treatment of homografts; (b) delivery of finely controlled pulsatile pressure loads, which induce strain stimuli that may drive cells toward repopulation of and integration with the natural scaffold; and (c) monitoring the construct's biomechanical status through a comprehensive index, i.e., its compliance. The handling needs during the set-up of the homograft and the use of the bioreactor were minimized. The bioreactor and its automated control system underwent tests with a compliant phantom valve. The estimated compliances are in good agreement with the measured ones. Tests were also carried out with porcine aortic samples in order to assess the hydrodynamic and biomechanical reliability. In the future, monitoring the construct's compliance might represent a key factor in controlling the recellularization of the valve homografts, which provides awareness of the construct's biomechanical status by real-time, non-destructive, and non-invasive means.