Journal Article

Effect of cyclic deformation on xenogeneic heart valve biomaterials

Noble, Christopher, Parvizi, Mojtaba, Dalgliesh, Ailsa J., Griffiths, Leigh G.

2019

Overview

Glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardium is currently the most popular biomaterial utilized in the creation of bioprosthetic heart valves. However, recent studies indicate that glutaraldehyde fixation results in calcification and structural valve deterioration, limiting the longevity of bioprosthetic heart valves. Additionally, glutaraldehyde fixation renders the tissue incompatible with constructive recipient cellular repopulation, remodeling and growth. Use of unfixed xenogeneic biomaterials devoid of antigenic burden has potential to overcome the limitations of current glutaraldehyde-fixed biomaterials. Heart valves undergo billion cycles of opening and closing throughout the patient's lifetime. Therefore, understanding the response of unfixed tissues to cyclic loading is crucial to these in a heart valve leaflet configuration. In this manuscript we quantify the effect of cyclic deformation on cycle dependent strain, structural, compositional and mechanical properties of fixed and unfixed tissues. Glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardium underwent marked cyclic dependent strain, resulting from significant changes in structure, composition and mechanical function of the material. Conversely, unfixed bovine pericardium underwent minimal strain and maintained its structure, composition and mechanical integrity. This manuscript demonstrates that unfixed bovine pericardium can withstand cyclic deformations equivalent to 6 months of in vivo heart valve leaflet performance.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Animals / Antigens / Artificial heart valves / Beef cattle / Biological products / Biology and Life Sciences / Biomaterials / Biomechanical Phenomena - drug effects / Biomedical materials / Bioprosthesis / Calcification / Calcification (ectopic) / Calcification (Physiology) / Care and treatment / Catheters / Cattle / Collagen / Composition / Cyclic loads / Deformation / Deformation effects / Engineering and Technology / Extracellular matrix / Finite Element Analysis / Fixation / Glutaral - pharmacology / Glutaraldehyde / Health aspects / Heart / Heart valve diseases / Heart Valve Prosthesis / Heart valves / Heart Valves - drug effects / Heart Valves - physiology / Laboratory animals / Materials / Mechanical properties / Medicine and Health Sciences / Organ Preservation - veterinary / Patient outcomes / Pericardium / Physical Sciences / Polymer crosslinking / Repopulation / Strain / Swine / Tissue engineering / Tissue Fixation / Viscoelasticity