Abstract
The increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and haemodialysis access drive high clinical demand for vascular grafts. Bioinert synthetic and decellularized or cryopreserved artery grafts exhibit poor regeneration and associated complications. Here, we present an approach that combines in vivo bioengineering and decellularization to prepare polycaprolactone skeleton-reinforced biotubes (dPB), which demonstrate appropriate mechanical strength, anti-kinking properties, resistance to repeat puncture, and are compatible with long-term storage at 4 °C. The loose and porous microstructure and immunomodulatory bioactivity of dPB induce rapid recellularization and promote pro-regenerative M2 macrophage polarization, which together facilitate remodelling to native artery-like tissue. In porcine coronary artery bypass grafting, canine carotid artery replacements and arteriovenous grafting models, ovine-derived dPB show high patency without dilatation, calcification and intimal hyperplasia. In summary, dPB offer a readily available and pro-regenerative vascular graft with a broad application prospect for patients with unavailable autologous vessels.
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The proteomics data generated in this study have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange database under accession code PXD051651. Raw data and processed data required to reproduce the analyses are available through this accession. Source data underlying the main and Supplementary Figs. are provided with this paper as a Source Data file. Source data are provided with this paper.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32222043 to K.W.; 82172106 to K.W.), the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFA1105100 to K.W., X.Y. and Q.Z.; 2023YFC2412400 to M.Z.), the Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Tianjin (24JCJQJC00180 to K.W.), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KJZD20240903100504006 to K.W.), and the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation (23JCZDJC00980 to K.W.).
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Quhan Cheng (Q.C.), Dengke Zhi (D.Z.), Adam C. Midgley (A.C.M.), Meifeng Zhu (M.Z.), Kai Wang (K.W.) and Deling Kong (D.K.) conceived the study. K.W., Q.C., D.Z., Xiaorui Ping (X.P.), Baofa Sun (B.S.), Qining Fu (Q.F.), Xianhui Liang (X.L.), Qiuying Zhang (Q.Zhang) and Qiang Zhao (Q.Zhao) developed the methodology. Experiments and data acquisition were performed by Q.C., D.Z., Ye Wan (Y.W.), Yi Li (Y.L.), Ruixin Zhang (R.Z.), Yu Shi (Y.S.), Jiayao Zheng (J.Z.), Su Zhang (S.Z.), Boxin Liu (B.L.), Tingting Wei (T.Wei), Tengzhi Ma (T.M.), Muhammad Rafique (M.R.), Q.F., X.L., Beat H. Walpoth (B.H.W.), Pei Wang (P.W.), Yu Zhao (Y.Z.) and Ting Wang (T.Wang), Q.Zhang and Q.Zhao. Data visualization was carried out by X.P., B.S., A.C.M., D.Z. and Q.C. Funding was acquired by K.W., D.K., M.Z. and Xiaofeng Ye (X.Y.). Project administration was led by K.W., D.K., Q.C. and D.Z., and supervision was provided by K.W., D.K., M.Z., and X.Y. Q.C., D.Z. and A.C.M. wrote the original draft, and K.W., D.K., B.H.W., M.Z. and X.Y. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and approved the final manuscript.
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D.K. and K.W. own stock or stock options in Leadbio Co. Ltd. D.Z. is an employee of Leadbio Co. Ltd. The other authors declare no competing interests.
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Cheng, Q., Zhi, D., Midgley, A.C. et al. Reinforced biotubes as readily available and regenerative vascular grafts. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70799-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70799-0
