In Vivo Remodeling of Fibroblast-Derived Vascular Scaffolds Implanted for 6 Months in Rats

Figure 3

Comparative histology of fibroblast-derived vascular scaffold before (a, d) and after implantation (b, e), native rat aortas (c, f), and longitudinal cross-sections of the scaffold (g) and native aorta (i) surrounding the anastomosis site (h, featuring the scaffold on the left and the native aorta on the right). ((a–c) and (g–i)) Masson’s trichrome. (d–f) Hematoxylin & eosin. Representative scaffold wall before implantation, showing a dense collagenous content in blue (a) and light pink (d). (b, e) The explanted scaffold 6 months after implantation, showing the presence of cells on the luminal and abluminal sides. Native rat aorta, presenting a sparse collagenous content in blue (adventitia; c, black arrow) or very pale pink (f, black arrow) and a dense layer with many cell nuclei and a reddish tint (media, white arrow). (g, h, i) Longitudinal cross-sections taken at the site of anastomosis. Cells appeared to have proliferated and passed the inner elastic lamella (black arrows) of native aortas (h, i) and onto the luminal side of the graft at the anastomotic site (h) and beyond (g). Scale bars: 100 μm.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)