Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;58(7):838-44.
doi: 10.231/JIM.0b013e3181f18e38.

Strategies for vascularization of polymer scaffolds

Georgia Papavasiliou  1 , Ming-Huei Cheng, Eric M Brey
Affiliations

Strategies for vascularization of polymer scaffolds

Georgia Papavasiliou et al. J Investig Med. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Biocompatible, degradable polymer scaffolds combined with cells or biological signals are being investigated as alternatives to traditional options for tissue reconstruction and transplantation. These approaches are already in clinical use as engineered tissues that enhance wound healing and skin regeneration. The continued enhancement of these material strategies is highly dependent on the ability to promote rapid and stable neovascularization (new blood vessel formation) within the scaffold. Whereas neovascularization therapies have shown some promise for the treatment of ischemic tissues, vascularization of polymer scaffolds in tissue engineering strategies provides a unique challenge owing to the volume and the complexity of the tissues targeted. In this article, we examine recent advances in research focused on promoting neovascularization in polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. These approaches include the use of growth factors, cells, and novel surgical approaches to both enhance and control the nature of the vascular networks formed. The continued development of these approaches may lead to new tissue engineering strategies for the generation of skin and other tissues or organs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A mutlilayer alginate microbead in which each layer contains fluorescently labeled albumin. The composition of each layer can be controlled allowing for distinct release kinetics of proteins encapsulated in each of the layers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PEG hydrogel patterns formed by interfacial photopolymerization and non-contact photolithography. Vascular hydrogel patterns (A) and (B). Multilayer hydrogels with distinct pattern formation in each layer (1, 2, 3, indicate first, second and third hydrogel layers, respectively). (C) Top view (D) side view. Adapted and reprinted with permission from Papavasiliou G. et al. [43].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Microchannel generated in poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels generated by selective degradation of patterned microstructures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. MacNeil S. Progress and opportunities for tissue-engineered skin. Nature. 2007;445(7130):874–80. - PubMed
    1. Nikol S, Baumgartner I, Van Belle E, et al. Therapeutic angiogenesis with intramuscular NV1FGF improves amputation-free survival in patients with critical limb ischemia. Mol Ther. 2008;16(5):972–8. - PubMed
    1. Ozawa CR, Banfi A, Glazer NL, et al. Microenvironmental VEGF concentration, not total dose, determines a threshold between normal and aberrant angiogenesis. J Clin Invest. 2004;113(4):516–27. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dvorak HF, Detmar M, Claffey KP, et al. Vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor: an important mediator of angiogenesis in malignancy and inflammation. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 1995;107(1–3):233–5. - PubMed
    1. Seliktar D, Zisch AH, Lutolf MP, et al. MMP-2 sensitive, VEGF-bearing bioactive hydrogels for promotion of vascular healing. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2004;68(4):704–16. - PubMed

Publication types