Design, characterization and in vivo performance of synthetic 2 mm-diameter vessel grafts made of PVA-gelatin blends

Since the development of the first vascular grafts, fabrication of vessel replacements with diameters smaller than 6 mm remains a challenge. The present work aimed to develop PVA (poly (vinyl alcohol))-gelatin hybrids as tubes suitable for replacement of very small vessels and to evaluate their performance using a rat abdominal aorta interposition model. PVA-gelatin hybrid tubes with internal and external diameters of 1.4 mm and 1.8 mm, respectively, composed of 4 different gelatin ratios were prepared using a one-step strategy with both chemical and physical crosslinking. By 3D Time of Flight MRI, Doppler-Ultrasound, Computed Tomography angiography and histology, we demonstrated good patency rates with the 1% gelatin composition until the end of the study at 3 months (50% compared to 0% of PVA control grafts). A reduction of the patency rate during the time of implantation suggested some loss of properties of the hybrid material in vivo, further confirmed by mechanical evaluation until one year. In particular, stiffening and reduction of compliance of the PVA-gelatin grafts was demonstrated, which might explain the observed long-term changes in patency rate. These encouraging results confirm the potential of PVA-gelatin hybrids as ready-to-use vascular grafts for very small vessel replacement.