A bioengineered trachea-like structure improves survival in a rabbit tracheal defect model

作者：Hai Tang, Weiyan Sun, Xiucheng Liu, Qing Gao, Yi Chen, Chaoqi Xie, Weikang Lin, Jiafei Chen, Long Wang, Ziwen Fan, Lei Zhang, Yijiu Ren, Yunlang She, Yong He, Chang Chen · 发表于：Science Translational Medicine · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1126/scitranslmed.abo4272 · 被引用次数：36 · 研究领域：Tracheal and airway disorders、Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine、Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

A practical strategy for engineering a trachea-like structure that could be used to repair or replace a damaged or injured trachea is an unmet need. Here, we fabricated bioengineered cartilage (BC) rings from three-dimensionally printed fibers of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) and rabbit chondrocytes. The extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by the chondrocytes combined with the PCL fibers formed a "concrete-rebar structure," with ECM deposited along the PCL fibers, forming a grid similar to that of native cartilage. PCL fiber-hydrogel rings were then fabricated and alternately stacked with BC rings on silicone tubes. This trachea-like structure underwent vascularization after heterotopic transplantation into rabbits for 4 weeks. The vascularized bioengineered trachea-like structure was then orthotopically transplanted by end-to-end anastomosis to native rabbit trachea after a segment of trachea had been resected. The bioengineered trachea-like structure displayed mechanical properties similar to native rabbit trachea and transmural angiogenesis between the rings. The 8-week survival rate in transplanted rabbits was 83.3%, and the respiratory rate of these animals was similar to preoperative levels. This bioengineered trachea-like structure may have potential for treating tracheal stenosis and other tracheal injuries.