Bioengineers grew artificial vessels based on hydrogel
American scientists conducted a study of artificially grown vessels based on different hydrogels. They studied mechanical properties of the obtained structures and cell survival in hydrogel medium of different composition: gelatin, fibrin and collagen.The researchers used genipin as a cross-linking component. The hydrogel based on gelatin cross-linked with genipin proved to be the most resistant to stretching, but it did not create an optimal environment for cell multiplication. The highest cell viability was achieved in fibrin medium without the addition of genipin. Fibroblasts - connective tissue cells forming the extracellular matrix - were also added to the fibrin hydrogel to increase the strength of the artificial vessels.
It is not enough to grow tissue from cells in a petri dish to create an artificial organ. These cells must be placed in an intercellular matrix, and it is important that this matrix be strong enough to withstand the stresses inside the human body. In addition, this environment should create optimal conditions for the growth of the cells that form the organ itself (e.g., muscle or epithelial cells). That is why the authors of the work added genipin, a substance derived from gardenia fruits, to the hydrogels, which makes hydrogels of gelatin and collagen more durable by forming additional bonds between the molecules.
Earlier, the same research team developed a strategy for growing artificial vessels: individual rings of arterial smooth muscle cells are formed in a petri dish; these rings are then connected into tubes and coated on the outside with hydrogel.
According to the scientists themselves, this technology still needs to be finalized, but in the future it will be possible to grow artificial organs "in vitro" and transplant them into humans.