| Cardiovascular development is an intricate process that leads to the creation of the body's circulatory system. During this process, congenital abnormalities can occur and result in severe defects in cardiac form and function. Cardiovascular diseases are also the major contributors to mortality and morbidity rates in the United States. Therefore, understanding cardiovascular development is necessary in order to provide effective treatment for congenital and adult disorders. Over recent years, great strides have been made in cardiovascular development which can be attributed to the advent of in vitro models. The research study presented here was designed to create a novel 3-D in vitro model and determine its utility as a tool for studying cardiovascular development. This model system has been utilized to support the growth of cardiac cells and tissues and to observe developmental mechanisms surrounding this process. In addition, the research study presented here described the creation of a 3-D model of coronary vessel development and the delineation of the role of cardiac myocytes during this process. The hypothesis is that cardiac myocytes induce the proliferation and morphogenesis of vascular endothelial cells, thus promoting the development of the coronary vasculature. Cardiac myocytes were observed to influence endothelial cell differentiation and morphogenesis by inducing the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). These analyses established the importance of cardiac myocytes in coronary vessel development and determine that the collagen tube scaffold served as an efficient tool for investigating this process. |
