Figure 10.

A TEVG was implanted in the abdominal aorta. The illustration depicts PLLA (Sigma-Aldrich) electrospun tubular scaffold that has been functionalized with heparin and utilized as a substitute for the abdominal aorta in a rabbit model. Panel (A) depicts an intraoperative photograph of the PLLA-armored scaffold that has been implanted and the ligature of the infrarenal aorta that has been placed between the two anastomoses. Panel (B) presents a three-dimensional reconstruction of the scaffold, created using maximum intensity projection and volume rendering algorithms. Panel (C): Histological analysis. The tissue was then subjected to a hematoxylin and eosin staining procedure. The scaffold exhibited a high degree of cellular colonization, with distinct phenotypic characteristics observed in different regions of the TEVG. The image on the left is a 40× magnification of the inner side of the TEVG. It is noteworthy that the flat, elongated cells with a protruding nucleus in the lumen (arrow) are organized in an endothelial-like fashion. The image on the right is a 40× magnification of the outer side of the TEVG. It is noteworthy that spindle-shaped cells, which are indicative of fibroblasts, can be observed with certainty (see arrow). The symbol F indicates the presence of polymer fibers in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal sections. Abbreviations: PLLA, poly-L-lactide; TEVG, tissue-engineered vascular graft [198].