Potential of Autologous Progenitor Cells and Decellularized Porcine Artery Matrix in Construction of Tissue-engineered Vascular Grafts.

To develop a tissue-engineered vascular graft, we used pericardial effusion-derived progenitor cells (PEPCs) collected from drained fluid after open-heart surgery in children with congenital heart diseases to repopulate a decellularized porcine pulmonary artery. The PEPCs were compared with human fibroblasts (HS68) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in cell growth and migration. They were cultured with the matrices via an inner approach (intima), lateral approach (media), and outer approach (adventitia). PEPCs grew and migrated better than the other two cells 14 days after seeding in the decellularized vessel. In immunofluorescence assays, PEPCs expressed CD90 and CD105 indicating a vascular differentiation. PEPCs grew in a decellularized porcine pulmonary artery matrix may have the potential for producing tissue-engineered vascular grafts.