• anti-thrombogenic
• hybrid tevg
• electrospinning
• tissue engineering
• vascular graft

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent the leading cause of death worldwide, with mortality rates characterised by an ever-growing rate. Among the various forms of CVDs, Coronary artery diseases (CADs) is the most severe pathology. Despite the advancements in risk-factors management, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains the preferred therapy for most patients with CADs. Autologous vessels represent the gold standard for grafting small-diameter vessels. However, they require invasive harvesting and are often unavailable.
Considering the limitations of current grafts for CABGs, in this thesis we produced a novel functional small-diameter (ID< 6mm) Tissue Engineering Vascular Graft (TEVG). The hybrid TEVG consists in a polymeric conduit, able to confer appropriate mechanical features to the structure. The polymeric core of the TEVG was formed by an internal layer of gelatine (GL) and an external one of Polycaprolactone (PCL) manufactured with the electrospinning technique. The multilayer conduit demonstrated the capability to possess mechanical properties similar to the native human coronary artery, reducing the risk of failure.
In order to recreate the structure of a native artery and improve the in vitro growth and remodelling, the graft was fully cellularized with specialized cells (endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and adventitial pericytes (APCs)).
In vitro assays showed the achievement of a uniform lining of ECs, fundamental as anti-thrombogenic property of the TEVG, and histology demonstrated the capability of deposition of the two external layers.
These results showed how this novel hybrid TEVG could represent a potential solution for the future of vascular surgery.