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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1997;113:102-107
© 1997 Mosby, Inc.

SURGERY FOR ACQUIRED HEART DISEASE

PROCOLLAGEN PRODUCTION IN FRESH AND CRYOPRESERVED AORTIC VALVE GRAFTS

Supported by a Research Endowment Support Grant from the Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Wash.

Received for publication March 7, 1996 Revisions requested April 8, 1996 Revisions received May 6, 1996 Accepted for publication July 1, 1996 Address for reprints: Flavian M. Lupinetti, MD, Division of Cardiac Surgery, CM-03, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Abstract

Long-term durability of aortic valve allografts may be enhanced by cellular capacities for regeneration and repair. To evaluate aortic valve graft production of an important structural protein, rat aortic roots were implanted heterotopically into the abdominal aorta of recipient rats. Grafts were either syngeneic or strongly allogeneic, were implanted either fresh or after cryopreservation, and were left in place 2 to 21 days after implantation. A total of 80 aortic valve grafts and the corresponding native aortic valves were examined. The grafts were retrieved and immunocytochemically stained for the presence of procollagen, a precursor to collagen. Regardless of histocompatibility or preservation, grafts exhibited consistent procollagen presence that equaled or exceeded that seen in the corresponding native valves. Positive procollagen staining was predominantly in the aortic wall. The most prominent staining was near the hinge point of the valve leaflets, with no staining in the free portion of the leaflets. Staining with -actin demonstrated vascular smooth muscle in sites remote from the areas positive for procollagen, which suggests that vascular smooth muscle was not responsible for the procollagen production. These findings indicate that cryopreservation is compatible with persistent fibroblast viability and in vivo protein synthesis by both syngeneic and allogeneic aortic valve grafts.

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