Overview on vascular tissue engineering: Progress and challenges

Today, vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis are one of the leading causes of death in the world and the prevalence of it in older societies is rising. The current treatments for repair of cardiovascular function include organ transplantation, surgical reconstruction, mechanical or artificial devices, or the use of metabolic products. Although these methods are commonly used, they did not grow significantly due to the shortage of donors and transmission of infection complications, rejection tissue by the patient's body. Currently, many researches are underway in the field of tissue and medical engineering for the development of new artificial vessels for small diameter vessels. In general, it can be classified as a source of biomaterials for natural and synthetic (biodegradable and non-degradable) broad spectrum of chemical and mechanical properties. The main purpose of tissue engineering is the design of alternative materials in vitro condition using live cells in order to restore the physiological function of the patient's tissue, which is similar to the natural tissue lost. In fact, tissue engineering as an interdisciplinary approach involves incorporating the principles of engineering, cellular and molecular biology, and clinical medicine. The tissue engineering structures consist of three major components: cells, materials, and growth factors. In this article, a review of the biomaterials, fabrication of scaffold, cells, as well as clinical applications in vascular tissue engineering are presented herein.