The 11th World Biomaterials Congress is happening in Glasgow next May – all the info here https://wbc2020.org/ for those interested – and we are traveling there to present several bits of our ongoing work and to meet with new and old friends. This event, with over one thousand programmed oral presentations, will be the global research update in the world of cell and tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and materials science applied to biology.
“New Frontiers in Endothelial Cell-Selective Biomaterials: Peptide Functionalization of Decellularized Bovine Pericardium” will be an oral presentation by Annj Zamuner from the University of Padova, of the work done in collaboration with Prof José Luis Gómez Ribelles at CBIT. She will present results with decellularized bovine pericardia functionalized with an Arg-Glu-Asp-Val (REDV) tetrapeptide that enhances endothelial cell adhesion. This is a strategy to improve the hemocompatibility of cardiovascular biomaterials such as biological heart valve prostheses.
Lack of endothelialization means lack of blood compatibility. One of the strategies aimed to improve the hemocompatibility of cardiovascular biomaterials is to take advantage of the innate properties of the healthy living endothelium. However, the use of synthetic materials or glutaraldehyde-treated xenogenic tissues in the production of heart valve prostheses might affect the development of a stable endothelial lining.
New strategies are represented by the immobilization of short synthetic peptides with selective adhesive properties towards endothelial cells (ECs). In this work, decellularized bovine pericardia (DBPs) were selectively and covalently functionalized with a REDV tetrapeptide analogue at two different working concentrations (C1 and C2). The peptide potential to enhance ECs adhesion was evaluated in vitro by static seeding of human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) and compared to untreated DBP. LDH assay reported negligible levels of cytotoxicity. Quantification of viable cells and MTS production was statistically higher in functionalized DBPs. Histological analysis revealed a continuous-like cell lining in all groups, with REDV functionalization at highest concentration enhancing the early adhesion of HUVECs on DBPs. Peptide density was determined through two-photon microscopy using a fluorescent peptide analogue.
Scaffold histoarchitecture, geometrical and mechanical properties resulted unaffected by peptide functionalization. The covalent immobilization of the bioactive REDV tetrapeptide is effective in promoting the early ECs population in decellularized tissues intended for the fabrication of transcatheter biological heart valves.
WBC2020-1788. New Frontiers in Endothelial Cell-Selective Biomaterials: Peptide Functionalization of Decellularized Bovine Pericardium
Eleonora Dal Sasso1, Annj Zamuner* 2, 3, Andrea Filippi3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Filippo Romanato3, 4, 6, 7, 8, Fabio Pieretti2, 3, José Luís Gómez Ribelles9, 10, Antonio Gloria11, Laura Iop1, 3, Gino Gerosa1, 3, Monica Dettin2, 3
1 Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine. 2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua. 3 LIFELAB Program, Consorzio per la Ricerca Sanitaria , CORIS, Veneto Region. 4 Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padua, Padua. 5 Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento. 6 Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 7 Laboratory for Nanofabrication of Nanodevices, Padua. 8 CNR-INFM TASC IOM National Laboratory, Trieste, Italy. 9 Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, CBIT, Universitat Politècnica de València. 10 Biomedical Research Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Valencia, Spain, 11 Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials , National Research Council of Italy, Naples, Italy