为了治疗大多数血管疾病,动脉移植物通常用于替换小直径血管,但它们经常引起血栓形成。内皮细胞沿着这些移植物(基底)的内表面的生长对于减轻血栓形成是关键的。通常,内皮细胞在层流条件下在这些移植物内培养,以模拟血管的天然环境并产生内皮。或者,基质结构对内皮细胞行为的影响与层流条件相似。在这项研究中,我们研究了纤维结构对齐的基质是否可以在人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVECs)中诱导类似于层流诱导的反应.我们的观察表明,对齐基底上的HUVECs显示出明显的形态学变化,平行于纤维对齐,类似于层流条件下报道的效果。相反,随机基材上的HUVEC保持了其特征性的鹅卵石外观。值得注意的是,细胞迁移在对齐的基底上更为显著。此外,我们观察到,虽然两种底物之间的vWF表达相似,在排列的基质上的HUVECs显示更多的血小板/内皮细胞粘附分子-1(PECAM-1/CD31)的表达,层粘连蛋白,和胶原蛋白IV。此外,这些细胞表现出与增殖等关键功能相关的基因表达增加,细胞外基质的产生,细胞骨架重组,自噬,和抗血栓形成活性。这些发现表明,与随机底物相比,对齐的底物增强了内皮生长和行为。这些改善类似于层流对内皮细胞的有益作用,与静态或湍流条件相比,这是有据可查的。
In order to treat most vascular diseases, arterial grafts are commonly employed for replacing small-diameter vessels, yet they often cause thrombosis. The growth of endothelial cells along the interior surfaces of these grafts (substrates) is critical to mitigate thrombosis. Typically, endothelial cells are cultured inside these grafts under laminar flow conditions to emulate the native environment of blood vessels and produce an endothelium. Alternatively, the substrate structure could have a similar influence on endothelial cell behavior as laminar flow conditions. In this study, we investigated whether substrates with aligned fiber structures could induce responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) akin to those elicited by laminar flow. Our observations revealed that HUVECs on aligned substrates displayed significant morphological changes, aligning parallel to the fibers, similar to effects reported under laminar flow conditions. Conversely, HUVECs on random substrates maintained their characteristic cobblestone appearance. Notably, cell migration was more significant on aligned substrates. Also, we observed that while vWF expression was similar between both substrates, the HUVECs on aligned substrates showed more expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31), laminin, and collagen IV. Additionally, these cells exhibited increased gene expression related to critical functions such as proliferation, extracellular matrix production, cytoskeletal reorganization, autophagy, and antithrombotic activity. These findings indicated that aligned substrates enhanced endothelial growth and behavior compared to random substrates. These improvements are similar to the beneficial effects of laminar flow on endothelial cells, which are well-documented compared to static or turbulent flow conditions.