Key result
Endothelialized RGD-PDMS membranes maintain cell stability for ~33 days without compromising gas transfer.
Why the study?
Current oxygenators lack hemocompatibility during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, prompting evaluation of the long-term stability and gas exchange performance of endothelialized membranes for a biohybrid lung.
p-value: p=0.2135
Endothelialized RGD-PDMS membranes demonstrate long-term stability and gas exchange capabilities, supporting their potential use in biohybrid lungs for chronic lung failure.
Supports biohybrid lung development for chronic failure; leaves open translation from animal models to clinical testing.
In the concept of a biohybrid lung, endothelial cells seeded on gas exchange membranes form a non-thrombogenic an anti-inflammatory surface to overcome the lacking hemocompatibility of today's oxygenators during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. To evaluate this concept, the long-term stability and gas exchange performance of endothelialized RGD-conjugated polydimethylsiloxane (RGD-PDMS) membranes was evaluated. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECs) were cultured on RGD-PDMS in a model system under physiological wall shear stress (WSS) of 0.5 Pa for up to 33 days. Gas exchange performance was tested with three biological replicates under elevated WSS of 2.5 Pa using porcine blood adjusted to venous values following ISO 7199 and blood gas analysis. EC morphology was assessed by immunocytochemistry (n = 3). RGD-PDMS promoted endothelialization and stability of endothelialized membranes was shown for at least 33 days and for a maximal WSS of 2.5 Pa. Short-term exposure to porcine blood did not affect EC integrity. The gas transfer tests provided evidence for the oxygenation and decarboxylation of the blood across endothelialized membranes with a decrease of transfer rates over time that needs to be addressed in further studies with larger sample sizes. Our results demonstrate the general suitability of RGD-PDMS for biohybrid lung applications, which might enable long-term support of patients with chronic lung failure in the future.
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Klein et al. (2019) studied Chronic lung failure (Biohybrid lung development) (n=12). Endothelialized RGD-PDMS membranes vs. Blank RGD-PDMS membranes was evaluated on Oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer rates (OTR and CTR) (p=0.2135). Endothelialized RGD-PDMS membranes maintained a stable cell layer under flow conditions for up to 33 days and facilitated oxygenation and decarboxylation of blood without a significant decrease in gas transfer rates compared to blank membranes.
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