Tracheal reconstruction after extensive resection remains a challenge in thoracic surgery. Aortic allograft has been proposed to be a potential tracheal substitute. However, clinically, its application is limited for the shortage of autologous aortic segment. Whether xenogeneic aortic biosheets can be used as tracheal substitutes remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the possibility in dog model. The results show that all dogs were survived without airway symptoms at 6 months after tracheal reconstruction with gently decellularized bovine carotid arteries. In the interior of engrafted areas, grafted patch integrated tightly with the residual native tracheal tissues and tracheal defects in the lumen were repaired smoothly without obvious inflammation, granulation, anastomotic leakage, or stenosis. In addition, histological and scanning electron microscopy examination showed that grafted patches were covered with ciliated columnar epithelium similar to epithelium in native trachea, which indicated successfully re-epithelialization of decellularized bovine carotid arteries in dogs. These findings provide preclinical investigation of xenogeneic aortic biosheets in serving as tracheal substitute in a dog model, which proposes that decellularized biosheets of bovine carotid may be a potential material for bioartificial tracheal graft.

广泛切除后的气管重建仍然是胸外科手术中的一个挑战。已提出同种异体主动脉移植物是一种潜在的气管替代物。但临床上由于自体主动脉节段不足而限制了其应用。异种主动脉生物片是否可以用作气管替代品仍然未知。在本研究中，我们调查了狗模型的可能性。结果表明，所有狗在用温和脱细胞的牛颈动脉进行气管重建后 6 个月时都没有出现气道症状。在移植区内部，移植补片与残余的天然气管组织紧密结合，管腔内的气管缺损修复顺利，无明显炎症、肉芽、吻合口漏或狭窄。此外，组织学和扫描电镜检查显示，移植的斑块上覆盖着类似于天然气管上皮的纤毛柱状上皮，这表明狗的脱细胞牛颈动脉成功地再上皮化。这些发现提供了异种主动脉生物片在狗模型中作为气管替代物的临床前研究，这表明牛颈动脉的脱细胞生物片可能是生物人工气管移植的潜在材料。