AUTHOR=Sun Peng , Yan Shujie , Zhang Liwei , Zhang Cong , Wu Haoliang , Wei Shunbo , Xie Boao , Wang Xiaofeng , Bai Hualong TITLE=Egg Shell Membrane as an Alternative Vascular Patch for Arterial Angioplasty JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.843590 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.843590 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Introduction: The egg shell membrane (ESM) is always considered as waste, but recent studies have shown that it has the potential to yield rapid re-endothelialization in vitro. We hypothesized that ESM and heparin-conjugated ESM (HESM) can be used as arterial patch in a rat aortic angioplasty model.

Method: Sprague-Dawley rat (200 g) abdominal aortic patch angioplasty model was used. Decellularized rat thoracic aorta (TA) patch was used as the control; ESM patch was made of raw chicken egg; heparin-coated ESM (HESM) patch was made by using dopamine; anticoagulation properties were verified using platelet adhesion tests; the TA, ESM, and HESM patches were implanted to the rat aorta and harvested at day 14; and the samples were examined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.

Result: The ESM patch showed a similar healing process to the TA patch; the cells could migrate and infiltrate into both patches; there was a neointima with von Willebrand factor-positive endothelial cells; the endothelial cells acquired arterial identity with Ephrin-B2- and dll-4-positive cells; there were proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells, and PCNA and alpha smooth muscle actin dual-positive cells in the neointima in both groups. Heparin was conjugated to the patch successfully and showed a strong anticoagulation property in vitro. HESM could decrease mural thrombus formation after rat aortic patch angioplasty.

Conclusion: The ESM is a natural scaffold that can be used as a vascular patch; it showed a similar healing process to decellularized TA patch; HESM showed anticoagulation property both in vitro and in vivo; and the ESM may be a promising vascular graft in the clinic.