Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Modulates Extracellular Matrix Production, Proliferation, and Apoptosis of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds

Abstract

Stimulation of EPC-seeded tissue engineering scaffolds with TGF-beta1 in vitro resulted in a more organized cellular architecture with glycoprotein, collagen, and elastin synthesis, and thus noninvasively isolated EPCs coupled with the pleiotropic actions of TGF-beta1 could offer new strategies to guide tissue formation in engineered cardiac valves.