Quantification of Alpha-Gal Expression in Commercial BioProsthetic Heart Valves and Its Potential Mitigation
The data confirm that commercially available BHVs retain a substantial immunogenic burden attributable to αGal xenoantigens. Importantly, the overtime degradation of glutaraldehyde crosslinks facilitates the gradual re-exhibition of these epitopes, potentially undermining long-term valve performance. The pronounced efficacy of polyphenol-based treatment in inhibiting αGal antigens highlights its promise as a biocompatibility-enhancing pretreatment strategy for next-generation BHVs.
Authors
- Peter Zilla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9502-4109)
- Andrea Colli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-3961)
- Massimo Antonio Padalino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7535-9670)
- Isaac George (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7770-4450)
- Antonio M. Calafiore
- Filippo Naso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8198-8799)
Institutions
- University of Pisa (IT)
- NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital (US)
- University of Padua (IT)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- Groote Schuur Hospital (ZA)
- Assocomaplast (IT)
- Henry Dunant Hospital (GR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Structural Heart
- Published
- 2025-10-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shj.2025.100739
- Primary Topic
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00