Tissue engineered prefabricated vascularised flaps in a rat model

Abstract

In current clinical practice, there is a constant need for autologous tissue for reconstruction. To provide the best functional and aesthetic outcome, microvascular free tissue transfer has become the preferred reconstructive method. One major drawback of using these autologous tissues is donor site morbidity.In vitro engineered tissue that has been re-implanted in vivo is either avascular or thin enough to obtain sufficient nutrients by diffusion. Current techniques have shown that generating vascularised soft tissue is possible by either using an arteriovenous shunt loop or an arteriovenous bundle as a vascular carrier. Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) has been shown to be suitable matrix for seeding cells in in vitro studies. Therefore, a distinct alternative would be one using tissue engineering techniques consisting of a scaffold and mesenchymal stem cells, with a donor vascular supply. This study aims to prefabricate vascularized soft tissue flap in vivo by using PLGA enveloped by a fibroblast cell sheet with an arteriovenous bundle providing the vascular supply.