J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004;128:155-156
© 2004 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Suggestion for functional model to test effects of decellularization of rat aortic valve allografts on leaflet destruction and extracellular matrix remodeling
Jean-Francois Légaré, MD
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
David B. Ross, MD
Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
To the Editor:
In their article "Decellularization of Rat Aortic Valve Allografts Reduces Leaflet Destruction and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling," Grauss and colleagues1 elegantly evaluated various methods of decellularization of aortic valve conduits and tested their structural integrity after implantation in a rat model. Their findings suggest that decellularization is possible and may reduce the recipient's immune response to allogeneic tissue, as demonstrated by preservation of the leaflets' structural integrity in decellularized allografts relative to cellular allografts. Despite the lack of immunologic data and the small number of animals, they showed convincing histologic evidence reflecting these findings.
However, one of the major limitations affecting the generalizability of their findings is that virtually all valved conduits except for cellular syngrafts resulted in significant sinus thrombus formation. This limitation of the model used could have been addressed in part by using a functional model in which blood flow and leaflet mobility can be demonstrated.2 The significance of sinus thrombosis is not negligible, and it has been shown to become a nidus for inflammatory cells, potentially affecting neighboring cellular immune responses and any conclusions made from histologic examination.3,4
 |
References
|
|---|
- Grauss RW, Hazekamp MG, Vliet SV, Gittenberger-de Groot AC, DeRuiter MC. Decellularization of rat aortic valve allografts reduces leaflet destruction and extracellular matrix remodeling. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2003;126:2003–2010[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Légaré JF, Nanton M, Bryan P, Lee TD, Ross DB. Aortic valve allograft implantation in rats: a new functional model. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2000;120:679–685[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Kranzhöfer R, Clinton SK, Ishii K, Coughlin SR, Fenton JW, Libby P. Thrombin potently stimulates cytokine production in human vascular smooth muscle cells but not in mononuclear phagocytes. Circ Res. 1996;79:286–294[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Libby P, Simon DI. Inflammation and thrombosis: the clot thickens. Circulation. 2001;103:1718–1720[Free Full Text]
Top
References