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The most promising alternatives to heart transplantation are left ventricular assist devices and artificial hearts; however, their use has been limited by thrombotic complications. To reduce these, sintered titanium (Ti) surfaces were developed, but thrombosis still occurs in approximately 7.5% of patients. We have invented a rapid-seeding technology to minimize the risk of thrombosis by rapid endothelialization of sintered Ti with human cord blood-derived endothelial cells (hCB-ECs). Human cord blood-derived endothelial cells were seeded within minutes onto sintered Ti and exposed to thrombosis-prone low fluid flow shear stresses. The hCB-ECs adhered and formed a confluent endothelial monolayer on sintered Ti. The exposure of sintered Ti to 4.4 dynes/cm2 for 20 hr immediately after rapid seeding resulted in approximately 70% cell adherence. The cell adherence was not significantly increased by additional ex vivo static culture of rapid-seeded sintered Ti before flow exposure. In addition, adherent hCB-ECs remained functional on sintered Ti, as indicated by flow-induced increase in nitric oxide secretion and reduction in platelet adhesion. After 15 day ex vivo static culture, the adherent hCB-ECs remained metabolically active, expressed endothelial cell functional marker thrombomodulin, and reduced platelet adhesion. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the feasibility of rapid-seeding sintered Ti with blood-derived hCB-ECs to generate a living antithrombotic surface.

Nitinol-based vascular devices, for example, peripheral and intracranial stents, are limited by thrombosis and restenosis. To ameliorate these complications, we developed a technology to promote vessel healing by rapidly seeding (QuickSeeding) autologous blood-derived endothelial cells (ECs) onto modified self-expanding nitinol stent delivery systems immediately before implantation. Several thousand micropores were laser-drilled into a delivery system sheath surrounding a commercial nitinol stent to allow for exit of an infused cell suspension. As suspension medium flowed outward through the micropores, ECs flowed through the delivery system attaching to the stent surface. The QuickSeeded ECs adhered to and spread on the stent surface following 24-h in vitro culture under static or flow conditions. Further, QuickSeeded ECs on stents that were deployed into porcine carotid arteries spread to endothelialize stent struts within 48 h (n = 4). The QuickSeeded stent struts produced significantly more nitric oxide in ex vivo flow circuits after 24 h, as compared to static conditions (n = 5). In conclusion, ECs QuickSeeded onto commercial nitinol stents within minutes of implantation spread to form a functional layer in vitro and in vivo, providing proof of concept that the novel QuickSeeding method with modified delivery systems can be used to seed functional autologous endothelium at the point of care. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1658-1665, 2016.

Implantable and extracorporeal cardiovascular devices are commonly made from titanium (Ti) (e.g. Ti-coated Nitinol stents and mechanical circulatory assist devices). Endothelializing the blood-contacting Ti surfaces of these devices would provide them with an antithrombogenic coating that mimics the native lining of blood vessels and the heart. We evaluated the viability and adherence of peripheral blood-derived porcine endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), seeded onto thin Ti layers on glass slides under static conditions and after exposure to fluid shear stresses. EPCs attached and grew to confluence on Ti in serum-free medium, without preadsorption of proteins. After attachment to Ti for 15 min, less than 5% of the cells detached at a shear stress of 100 dyne / cm2. Confluent monolayers of EPCs on smooth Ti surfaces (Rq of 10 nm), exposed to 15 or 100 dyne / cm2 for 48 h, aligned and elongated in the direction of flow and produced nitric oxide dependent on the level of shear stress. EPC-coated Ti surfaces had dramatically reduced platelet adhesion when compared to uncoated Ti surfaces. These results indicate that peripheral blood-derived EPCs adhere and function normally on Ti surfaces. Therefore EPCs may be used to seed cardiovascular devices prior to implantation to ameliorate platelet activation and thrombus formation.

Aim: Peripheral blood-derived endothelial cells (pBD-ECs) are an attractive tool for cell therapies and tissue engineering, but have been limited by their low isolation yield. We increase pBD-EC yield via administration of the chemokine receptor type 4 antagonist AMD3100, as well as via a diluted whole blood incubation (DWBI). Materials & Methods: Porcine pBD-ECs were isolated using AMD3100 and DWBI and tested for EC markers, acetylated LDL uptake, growth kinetics, metabolic activity, flow-mediated nitric oxide production and seeded onto titanium tubes implanted into vessels of pigs. Results: DWBI increased the yield of porcine pBD-ECs 6.6-fold, and AMD3100 increased the yield 4.5-fold. AMD3100-mobilized ECs were phenotypically indistinguishable from nonmobilized ECs. In porcine implants, the cells expressed endothelial nitric oxide synthase, reduced thrombin-antithrombin complex systemically and prevented thrombosis. Conclusion: Administration of AMD3100 and the DWBI method both increase pBD-EC yield.

Nitinol-based vascular devices, for example, peripheral and intracranial stents, are limited by thrombosis and restenosis. To ameliorate these complications, we developed a technology to promote vessel healing by rapidly seeding (QuickSeeding) autologous blood-derived endothelial cells (ECs) onto modified self-expanding nitinol stent delivery systems immediately before implantation. Several thousand micropores were laser-drilled into a delivery system sheath surrounding a commercial nitinol stent to allow for exit of an infused cell suspension. As suspension medium flowed outward through the micropores, ECs flowed through the delivery system attaching to the stent surface. The QuickSeeded ECs adhered to and spread on the stent surface following 24-h in vitro culture under static or flow conditions. Further, QuickSeeded ECs on stents that were deployed into porcine carotid arteries spread to endothelialize stent struts within 48 h (n = 4). The QuickSeeded stent struts produced significantly more nitric oxide in ex vivo flow circuits after 24 h, as compared to static conditions (n = 5). In conclusion, ECs QuickSeeded onto commercial nitinol stents within minutes of implantation spread to form a functional layer in vitro and in vivo, providing proof of concept that the novel QuickSeeding method with modified delivery systems can be used to seed functional autologous endothelium at the point of care. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1658-1665, 2016.

Intimal hyperplasia after percutaneous intervention is especially problematic in peripheral arteries. In coronary arteries, drug-eluting stents (DES) have greatly reduced intimal hyperplasia; however, DES not only prevent smooth muscle cell proliferation but also inhibit endothelial cell (EC) healing. In an effort to rapidly endothelialize Nitinol vascular stents, we have developed a novel rapid seeding technology (QuickSeeding). 5000 micropores (~32.4 ± 0.4 μm) were laser-drilled circumferentially into Nitinol stent delivery systems to enable ECs to flow across the stent struts and thereby attach to the stent while in its compressed state within 5 min at the point-of-care. To evaluate EC adhesion after stent deployment, ECs were isolated from human umbilical cord blood progenitor cells and QuickSeeded, resulting in a uniform stent surface coverage of 55,000 ± 9,500 cells/cm2 (n=4). QuickSeeded stents were then deployed in tubing and tested in a flow circuit at 15 dynes/cm2, representing arterial flow shear stress. After 48 hr of flow, ECs had spread over the stent surface, demonstrated by PECAM staining of cell junctions. To assess EC function, total nitrite was measured as a marker of NO production and increased from 0.41 ± 0.13 nmol under static conditions to 7.83 ± 1.97 nmol after 24 hr of flow (p

Endothelial cells (ECs) isolated from endothelial progenitor cells in blood have great potential as a therapeutic tool to promote vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and treat cardiovascular diseases. However, current methods to isolate ECs are limited by a low yield with few colonies appearing during isolation. In order to utilize blood-derived ECs for therapeutic applications, a simple method is needed that can produce a high yield of ECs from small volumes of blood without the addition of animal-derived products. For the first time, we show that human endothelial cells can be isolated without the prior separation of blood components through the technique of diluted whole blood incubation (DWBI) utilizing commercially available human serum. We isolated ECs from small volumes of blood (~ 10 ml) via DWBI and characterized them with flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and uptake of DiI-labeled acetylated low density lipoprotein (DiI-Ac-LDL). These ECs are functional as demonstrated by their ability to form tubular networks in Matrigel, adhere and align with flow under physiological fluid shear stress, and produce increased nitric oxide under fluid flow. An average of 7.0 ± 2.5 EC colonies that passed all functional tests described above were obtained per 10 ml of blood as compared to only 0.3 ± 0.1 colonies with the traditional method based on density centrifugation. The time until first colony appearance was 8.3 ± 1.2 days for ECs isolated with the DWBI method and 12 ± 1.4 days for ECs isolated with the traditional isolation method. A simplified method, such as DWBI, in combination with advances in isolation yield could enable the use of blood-derived ECs in clinical practice.

The overall goal of this method is to describe a technique to subject adherent cells to laminar flow conditions and evaluate their response to well quantifiable fluid shear stresses. Our flow chamber design and flow circuit (Fig. 1) contains a transparent viewing region that enables testing of cell adhesion and imaging of cell morphology immediately before flow (Fig. 11A, B), at various time points during flow (Fig. 11C), and after flow (Fig. 11D). These experiments are illustrated with human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and porcine EPCs. This method is also applicable to other adherent cell types, e.g. smooth muscle cells (SMCs) or fibroblasts. The chamber and all parts of the circuit are easily sterilized with steam autoclaving. In contrast to other chambers, e.g. microfluidic chambers, large numbers of cells (> 1 million depending on cell size) can be recovered after the flow experiment under sterile conditions for cell culture or other experiments, e.g. DNA or RNA extraction, or immunohistochemistry (Fig. 11E), or scanning electron microscopy. The shear stress can be adjusted by varying the flow rate of the perfusate, the fluid viscosity, or the channel height and width. The latter can reduce fluid volume or cell needs while ensuring that one-dimensional flow is maintained. It is not necessary to measure chamber height between experiments, since the chamber height does not depend on the use of gaskets, which greatly increases the ease of multiple experiments. Furthermore, the circuit design easily enables the collection of perfusate samples for analysis and/or quantification of metabolites secreted by cells under fluid shear stress exposure, e.g. nitric oxide (Fig. 12).

Implantable cardiovascular devices are manufactured from artificial materials (e.g. titanium (Ti), expanded polytetrafluoroethylene), which pose the risk of thromboemboli formation1,2,3. We have developed a method to line the inside surface of Ti tubes with autologous blood-derived human or porcine endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)4. By implanting Ti tubes containing a confluent layer of porcine EPCs in the inferior vena cava (IVC) of pigs, we tested the improved biocompatibility of the cell-seeded surface in the prothrombotic environment of a large animal model and compared it to unmodified bare metal surfaces5,6,7 (Figure 1). This method can be used to endothelialize devices within minutes of implantation and test their antithrombotic function in vivo. Peripheral blood was obtained from 50 kg Yorkshire swine and its mononuclear cell fraction cultured to isolate EPCs4,8. Ti tubes (9.4 mm ID) were pre-cut into three 4.5 cm longitudinal sections and reassembled with heat-shrink tubing. A seeding device was built, which allows for slow rotation of the Ti tubes. We performed a laparotomy on the pigs and externalized the intestine and urinary bladder. Sharp and blunt dissection was used to skeletonize the IVC from its bifurcation distal to the right renal artery proximal. The Ti tubes were then filled with fluorescently-labeled autologous EPC suspension and rotated at 10 RPH x 30 min to achieve uniform cell-coating9. After administration of 100 USP/ kg heparin, both ends of the IVC and a lumbar vein were clamped. A 4 cm veinotomy was performed and the device inserted and filled with phosphate-buffered saline. As the veinotomy was closed with a 4-0 Prolene running suture, one clamp was removed to de-air the IVC. At the end of the procedure, the fascia was approximated with 0-PDS (polydioxanone suture), the subcutaneous space closed with 2-0 Vicryl and the skin stapled closed. After 3 - 21 days, pigs were euthanized, the device explanted en-block and fixed. The Ti tubes were disassembled and the inner surfaces imaged with a fluorescent microscope. We found that the bare metal Ti tubes fully occluded whereas the EPC-seeded tubes remained patent. Further, we were able to demonstrate a confluent layer of EPCs on the inside blood-contacting surface. Concluding, our technology can be used to endothelialize Ti tubes within minutes of implantation with autologous EPCs to prevent thrombosis of the device. Our surgical method allows for testing the improved biocompatibility of such modified devices with minimal blood loss and EPC-seeded surface disruption.

Titanium (Ti) is commonly utilized in many cardiovascular devices, e.g. as a component of Nitinol stents, intra- and extracorporeal mechanical circulatory assist devices, but is associated with the risk of thromboemboli formation. We propose to solve this problem by lining the Ti blood-contacting surfaces with autologous peripheral blood-derived late outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) after having previously demonstrated that these EPCs adhere to and grow on Ti under physiological shear stresses and functionally adapt to their environment under flow conditions ex vivo. Autologous fluorescently-labeled porcine EPCs were seeded at the point-of-care in the operating room onto Ti tubes for 30 minutes and implanted into the pro-thrombotic environment of the inferior vena cava of swine (n = 8). After 3 days, Ti tubes were explanted, disassembled, and the blood-contacting surface was imaged. A blinded analysis found all 4 cell-seeded implants to be free of clot, whereas 4 controls without EPCs were either entirely occluded or partially thrombosed. Pre-labeled EPCs had spread and were present on all 4 cell-seeded implants while no endothelial cells were observed on control implants. These results suggest that late outgrowth autologous EPCs represent a promising source of lining Ti implants to reduce thrombosis in vivo.