Co-presence of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in an in vivo engineered liver pocket-scaffold increases neo-angiogenesis and albumin production

Introduction: Fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) liver tissue is limited by many factors, one of them is the lack of vascularization in the tissue-engineered constructs. To overcome these limitations, an in vivo engineered liver pocket-scaffold's ability to increase neo-angiogenesis was considered in the present study. Methods: Hyaluronan-besed scaffolds enriched with human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) and hepatocytes were implanted into rats. Angiogenesis and hepatocyte function were monitored. Results: The formation of de novo vascular networks within scaffolding matrices was noted as well as a better albumin production by the implanted hepatocytes. Conclusions: Our results emphasized that the presence in culture of hMSC increased tissue concentrations of growth factors and may promote angiogenesis resulting in a higher density of blood vessels coupled with a better metabolic support of hepatocytes.