The need of new techniques in cardiology has driven Tissue Engineering towards the development of artificial blood vessels that fulfill the requirements of the organism. In this work bacterial cellulose (BC) tubular structures were produced and their degradation in vitro was evaluated. No significant changes in microstructure and BC fiber morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy after degradation tests. Degradation tests in physiological solutions (PBS and saline) revealed a very low degradation after 20 weeks. A low degradation rate of artificial vessels is important, since the process of new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) demands time.
Bacterial cellulose; in vitro degradation; artificial vessels
