Biomimetic Three-Layer Polymeric Systems for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

摘要

Valvular heart disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Valve replacement is the most common surgical procedure in patients with advanced valvular heart disease. Extensive experience has been gained with mechanical and biological valve prostheses since their clinical implementation in 1965. Despite their indisputable clinical value, currently employed prostheses are hampered by thromboembolic complications, infections, limited durability and lack of growth potential. This imposes severe problems, especially on pediatric patients. In order to overcome the limitations of today's heart valve replacements, researchers have developed different tissue engineering concepts using various scaffold materials. These include biodegradable synthetic polymers, decellularized tissues or natural polymers. The successful bioengineering of a tissue valve will rely on the production of a scaffold that resembles the unique structure of the native valve.