Author:

Chem Asian J. 2025 Jul 21:e00652. doi: 10.1002/asia.202500652. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) offer advantages over mechanical valves but are limited by long-term degeneration and calcification. This study aimed to develop a durable BHV material using decellularized bovine pericardium (BP) and alternative cross-linking strategies. BP was decellularized using a combination of sodium deoxycholate (SDC) and Triton X-100 (TX), which removed cellular components while preserving the extracellular matrix (ECM), as confirmed by histological, DNA quantification, and biochemical analyses. The impact of glutaraldehyde, glyoxal, tannic acid, and catechin cross-linking on calcification propensity and mechanical properties was evaluated. Glyoxal-cross-linked BP, further capped with 1% l-glutamic acid, demonstrated superior resistance to calcification while maintaining mechanical properties comparable to standard glutaraldehyde treatment. These results suggest that SDC-TX decellularized, glyoxal-cross-linked BP with l-glutamic acid capping presents a promising strategy for enhancing BHV durability and biocompatibility, offering a potential alternative to conventional glutaraldehyde.

PMID:40686436 | DOI:10.1002/asia.202500652

J Vasc Bras. 2025 Jun 13;24:e20240182. doi: 10.1590/1677-5449.202401822. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAA) has advanced. Understanding the pathophysiology and surgical approaches to this disease is essential for best therapeutic performance.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to improve previously described methods for creating thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in a porcine animal model, reducing surgical procedure time and specimen mortality.

METHODS: A total of 18 swine underwent a surgical procedure to create a TAA. An autologous peritoneal patch was used to create the aneurysm in 2 animals, and a bovine pericardial patch was used in the other 16. The animals were followed up postoperatively, and the aneurysm sac was reexamined after 4 weeks. The animals that did not die in the post-operative period were euthanized according to institutional recommendations.

RESULTS: All of the animals underwent laparotomy with retroperitoneal access. Two received an autologous peritoneal patch and 16 received a bovine pericardial patch. Three animals underwent single suprarenal clamping, while 15 underwent sequential clamping. There were no differences in operative time (p=0.207) or total clamping time (p=0.276) between groups. There was a higher mortality rate after 4 weeks in animals that received single clamping (100%) than sequential clamping (26.7%) (p=0.0017).

CONCLUSIONS: The experimental model of TAA using a bovine pericardial patch and a sequential clamping technique provided a stable and reliable platform that remains stable and patent for up to 4 weeks. This model can be extremely valuable for assessing new endovascular therapy options in living organisms.

PMID:40557052 | PMC:PMC12186686 | DOI:10.1590/1677-5449.202401822

Sci Adv. 2025 Jun 20;11(25):eadw0808. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adw0808. Epub 2025 Jun 18.

ABSTRACT

Bovine pericardium is the tissue of choice for replacing heart valves of human patients in minimally invasive surgery. The tissue has an extraordinarily high toughness of ~100 kilojoules per square meter. Here, we investigate the origin of the toughness through mechanical tests and microscopic observations. In the tissue, crimped, long, strong collagen fibers are embedded in a soft matrix. As a crack grows in the matrix, the fibers decrimp, reorient, slip, and bridge the crack. These microscopic processes enable the fibers to transmit high tension over a long distance. Using two types of experiments, we measure the bridging traction as a function of crack separation, σ(δ). The peak traction is σ₀ ~ 60 megapascals. The maximum separation is δ₀ ~ 6 millimeters, two to four orders of magnitude higher than that of hard tissues. Both the high traction and large separation of the bovine pericardium contribute to its high toughness.

PMID:40532007 | PMC:PMC12175909 | DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adw0808