Transmural communication at a subcellular level may play a critical role in the fallout based‐endothelialization of dacron vascular prostheses in canine

Abstract A microporous and permeable wall is important for the healing of vascular prostheses, however, the significance of its permeability to soluble substances at subcellular level has not been demonstrated. Polyester arterial prostheses were prepared in such a way that each of them contained three segments, of which at least one segment was impervious and another segment was permeable to water but impermeable to cells. Twenty graft segments were implanted in 7 dogs as a thoraco–abdominal bypass for 2 months. The prostheses were then harvested, photographed, and treated for histological and morphological studies. The low porosity graft capped by two thrombogenic segments was fully endothelialized, proving the fallout mechanism. The striking contrast with its impermeable counterpart demonstrated that a wall permeable to small substances of subcellular level was critical for the endothelial healing. A wide range of water permeabilities did not reveal advantages of high water permeable segments over low water permeable ones. Endothelial ingrowth from anastomoses was also jeopardized in the absence of wall permeability. In conclusion, transmural communication at a subcellular level may have played a critical role in the fallout based‐endothelialization of arterial prostheses in canine. This highlights the potential function of perigraft cytokines and growth factors in endothelial healing. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007