NEW TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX REMODELING AT THE MICRO-LEVEL IN CARDIOVASCULAR TISSUE ENGINEERING

摘要

Cardiovascular tissues have a prominent load-bearing function. Collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix provide strength to these tissues. In particular the content and organization of these fibers contribute to overall strength [1]. In case of changes in mechanical demand, collagen content and organization can be adapted, a process referred to as remodeling. Collagen is therefore a key factor when creating load-bearing tissues via tissue engineering (TE). In order to optimize TE constructs we want to control the collagen content and organization, by either mechanical conditioning of the construct [2] or modification of scaffold properties (degradation, structure) [3,4].