Inadequate availability of organs and tissues for transplantation is a major problem. While offering an alternative, development of engineered tissue constructs containing a functional vascular network that allows delivery of nutrients and especially O₂ remains a challenge. Using native vasculature, especially microvasculature, of a tissue or an organ offers potential to overcome this shortcoming. Decellularized animal organs retain the extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold and native vascular networks but are challenging to source. A low cost, more readily available, and consistent source of tissues and organs is required. We investigated a plant scaffold model that would mimic input (arterial)-output (venous) flow by grafting two Aptenia cordifolia leaves together with opposite facing petioles. The abaxial epidermis of the top leaf and the adaxial epidermis of the bottom leaf were removed; wounds were soaked for 20 s in 0.1-mg L⁻¹ naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1-mg L⁻¹ benzylaminopurine (BAP) before horizontally appressing the wounded side of each leaf together. Leaves were decellularized 2 to 4 wk after grafting, lyophilized, and stored at room temperature. Prior to use, grafts were sterilized by ethylene oxide and rehydrated. Structural connections between the leaves were visualized histologically in thin sections using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue stains. Ponceau Red dye and red blood cells were perfused into the grafted leaves through one petiole of one leaf after decellularization to observe flow from input petiole into the first and then the second of the grafted leaves prior to exiting via the output petiole. Grafts were recellularized with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing human breast cancer line MDA-MB231 and cell attachment and morphology observed 7 d post cell seeding. Results suggest that these grafted leaves provided an input-output cell-compatible vascularized scaffold as a possible bioscaffold for engineering tissues for transplantation.

器官和组织的可利用性不足是主要问题。在提供替代方案的同时，开发包含功能性血管网络的工程组织构建体的开发仍然是一项挑战，该功能性血管网络允许营养物质尤其是O _2的传递。使用组织或器官的天然脉管系统，尤其是微脉管系统，可以克服这一缺点。脱细胞的动物器官保留了细胞外基质（ECM）支架和天然血管网络，但来源很难。需要一种低成本，更容易获得的，一致的组织和器官来源。我们研究了一种植物支架模型，该模型将通过移植两个Aptenia cordifolia来模拟输入（动脉）-输出（静脉）流动叶与相反的叶柄在一起。除去顶叶的背面表皮和底叶的背面表皮。将伤口在0.1-mg L ^-1萘乙酸（NAA）和1-mg L ^-1苄基氨基嘌呤（BAP）中浸泡20 s，然后水平将每片叶子的受伤侧并拢。嫁接后2-4周将叶片脱细胞，冻干，并在室温下保存。使用前，将嫁接物用环氧乙烷灭菌并再水化。使用苏木精和曙红在薄切片中组织学观察叶片之间的结构连接（H＆E）和甲苯胺蓝染色。脱细胞后，将Ponceau红染料和红细胞通过一片叶子的一个叶柄灌注到嫁接的叶子中，以观察从输入叶柄向第一片嫁接叶的流动，然后进入第二片嫁接叶，然后通过输出叶柄流出。用表达人乳腺癌细胞系MDA-MB231的绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）将移植物重新细胞化，并在细胞接种后7天观察到细胞附着和形态。结果表明，这些嫁接的叶片提供了一种输入-输出细胞相容的血管化支架，作为工程化组织移植的可能生物支架。