1. State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin, China;2. Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA;3. Department of Urology Surgery, Children's Hospital, Tianjin, China;4. Center for Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
Abstract:
In this study, a three layered poly (ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) graft (tPCL) was fabricated by electrospinning PCL and electrospraying poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), which has a thin dense inner layer, a loose middle layer, and a dense outer layer. Regular PCL grafts (rPCL) with only a dense layer were used as control. In vivo evaluation was performed in rabbit carotid artery. Enhanced cell infiltration, rapid regeneration of endothelium and smooth muscle layers, and increased elastin deposition were observed within the tPCL graft wall. After 3 months, tPCL grafts showed faster PCL degradation than the rPCL grafts. Infiltrated macrophages in the tPCL grafts secreted higher level of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which enhanced vascular regeneration. In conclusion, the tPCL graft may be a useful vascular prosthesis and worth for further investigation.