Background

There is a significant pitfall in clinical translation of large-sized tissue-engineered grafts – a lack of vascularization. This study was carried out to find the answer in a plant leaf, as plants and animals share structural similarities.

Methods and results

We fabricated a scaffold using Brassica oleracea leaves (10%SDS) and expanded the endothelial cells onto them. The vascularity was demarcated by angiography. The thermal decomposition confirmed that the oxidation resistance of the scaffold is parallel to the natural leaf. The acellularity of the scaffold as well as the presence of cellular establishment after culture on the scaffold was confirmed by histology, scanning electron microscopy, periodic acid-Schiff, and DNA quantification. Further, we estimated various biochemical markers like MDA, catalase, total proteins, and total nitric oxide for confirming their metabolic activities. Cell-specific markers like vWF, lectin established their phenotype. Cytotoxicity and live-dead assay showed the viability of cells.

Conclusion

Our findings proved that the decellularized leaf scaffold preserves vascularity, exhibits non-toxicity, maintains the cell identity, and supports mammalian cells for their metabolic activities. The study gives a futuristic hope in combating the ever-growing issues of clinical applicability of large-sized grafts.

中文翻译：

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使用甘蓝叶制造预血管化的大型代谢支持支架

背景

大型组织工程移植物的临床转化存在一个重大缺陷——缺乏血管化。进行这项研究是为了在植物叶子中找到答案，因为植物和动物具有结构相似性。

方法和结果

我们使用甘蓝叶 (10% SDS)制作了一个支架，并将内皮细胞扩展到其上。通过血管造影来划分血管分布。热分解证实支架的抗氧化性与天然叶片平行。通过组织学、扫描电子显微镜、高碘酸-Schiff 和 DNA 定量证实了支架的非细胞性以及在支架上培养后细胞建立的存在。此外，我们估计了各种生化标志物，如 MDA、过氧化氢酶、总蛋白和总一氧化氮，以确认它们的代谢活性。vWF、凝集素等细胞特异性标志物确定了它们的表型。细胞毒性和活-死测定显示细胞的活力。

结论

我们的研究结果证明，脱细胞叶支架保留了血管分布，表现出无毒性，保持细胞特性，并支持哺乳动物细胞的代谢活动。该研究为解决日益严重的大型移植物临床适用性问题带来了未来希望。