Figure 2.

Macroscopic and histological analysis of ovine aortic valve conduits. Valve bearing native aortic roots were cultivated in a bioreactor system with pulsatile flow for one week. (A) Macroscopic analysis after bioreactor cultivation shows no remarkable differences between aortic roots cultivated in standard (BR-std) or pro-degenerative medium containing β-glycerophosphate and calcium chloride (BR-deg), but a thickening of leaflets compared to native valve bearing aortic roots (Native). Bars: 1 cm. (B) Overall leaflet structure (H&E staining, upper panel) and three-layer structure of extracellular matrix (Movat pentachrome staining, lower panel) remained after bioreactor cultivation. Representative images of eight replicates are presented. Bars: 400 µm.