Rapid anticalcification treatment for glutaraldehyde-fixed autologous tissue in cardiovascular surgery

Abstract Background Glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed autologous tissues, including the pericardium, are widely used as patches and valve substitutes in cardiovascular surgery. However, the treatment causes tissue calcification. No rapid anticalcification treatment method has been established for use during surgery. Here, we aimed to establish a rapid method for anticalcification treatment. Methods Thoracic aorta tissues were first fixed with GA for 3 min, and post-treated with ethanol for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min representing groups 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively; untreated tissues served as the control (group 1). The treated tissues were subdermally implanted into 3-week-old male Wistar rats for 28 days. The calcification level in each explant was evaluated semiquantitatively by annotating and measuring the area using virtual slides; the data were statistically analyzed. Results Semiquantitative calcification analysis revealed that the calcification of implants from the untreated group (group 1; P = 0.0014) and groups 4 (P = 0.0014) and 5 (P = 0.0031) was significantly lower than that from group 2. Meanwhile, implants from group 3 showed a tendency towards decreased calcification, although this was not significant (P = 0.0503). Conclusions A rapid ethanol treatment might prevent the calcification of GA-fixed tissues in a rat model of subdermal implantation. This method may facilitate an effective and rapid anticalcification treatment of autologous tissues for use during cardiovascular surgery.