The analysis of lactate-pyruvate levels and growth proliferation rates of endothelial cells on urinary bladder matrix: a potential vascular graft

Arterial diseases are a common cause of death in the western world. The development of arterial substitute materials for the improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases is vital. One such material is urinary bladder matrix (UBM) an extracellular matrix material derived from porcine urinary bladder. Studies have reported that UBM contains a highly important factor for vessel and endothelium formation, an intact basement membrane (1). Cellular performance and growth are also important characteristics of an arterial substitute. Lactate is a respiratory metabolite which under optimal aerobic conditions is converted to pyruvate and can be used to measure cellular performance of cells. Thus the lactate/pyruvate (L/P) ratio indicates the respiratory status of a cell (2). The main aim of this research is the investigation of the (L/P) ratios and proliferation rates of human endothelial cells on UBM, to demonstrate its suitability for vascular applications.