History, progress and future challenges of artificial blood vessels: a narrative review

Ke Hu, Yuxuan Li, Zunxiang Ke, Hongjun Yang, Chanjun Lu, Yiqing Li, Yi Guo, Weici Wang

Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of artificial blood vessels in different materials

Vessel type Materials Advantages Disadvantages References Synthetic polymers ePTFE (Gore-Tex), PET (Dacron), PU, PCL, PLCL, PLA, PGS. Excellent mechanical properties. Easy availability. Mass production. Easy surgical suturing. Preventing vascular burst. Can be stored for off-the-shelf use. Causes thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, calcification, and chronic inflammation. No growth potential. Poor haemocompatibility. Compliance mismatch. 46, 47, 49, 51, 72 Natural biomaterials Silk fibroin, collagen, elastin, chitosan, bacterial cellulose Excellent biocompatibility. Enhanced biological signalling. Tunable mechanical properties. Weak mechanical strength. Causes vascular graft dilation and aneurysms. Easy degradation. Overly complex designs. Difficulty in translation. 10, 52-57, 66 Decellularised vessels Animal artery, umbilical artery, umbilical vein Low immunogenicity. Preserved extracellular matrix, meso- and microvasculature. Increased thrombogenicity. Host immune response. Difficulty in precise recellularisation. Calcification. 67-69