The Red Kangaroo pericardium as a material source for the manufacture of percutaneous heart valves

•Detailed histology of the pericardium of red kangaroo.•Potential of using red kangaroo pericardium for tissue heart valve.•Issues related with using wild animal pericardium. The kangaroo pericardium might be considered to be a good candidate material for use in the manufacture of the leaflets of percutaneous heart valves based upon the unique lifestyle. The diet consists of herbs, forbs and strubs. The kangaroo pericardium holds an undulated structure of collagen. A Red Kangaroo was obtained after a traffic fatality and the pericardium was dissected. Four compasses were cut from four different sites: auricular (AUR), atrial (ATR), sternoperitoneal (SPL) and phrenopericardial (PPL). They were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. All the samples showed dense and wavy collagen bundles without vascularisation from both the epicardium and the parietal pericardium. The AUR and the ATR were 150±25μm thick whereas the SPL and the PPL were thinner at 120±20μm. The surface of the epicardium was smooth and glistening. The filaments of collagen were well individualized without any aggregation, but the banding was poorly defined and somewhat blurry. This detailed morphological analysis of the kangaroo pericardium illustrated a surface resistant to thrombosis and physical characteristics resistant to fatigue. The morphological characteristics of the kangaroo pericardium indicate that it represents an outstanding alternative to the current sources e.g., bovine and porcine. However, procurement of tissues from the wild raises supply and sanitary issues. Health concerns based upon sanitary uncertainty and reliability of supply of wild animals remain real problems. Le péricarde de kangourou pourrait être considéré comme une source de matériel pour la fabrication des feuillets de valves percutanées. Cette hypothèse se base sur son mode de vie dans un environnement aride ou semiaride où sa diète est composée d’herbes, de fourrage et d’arbrisseaux et sur la structure ondulée des faisceaux de collagène. Le péricarde d’un coeur de kangourou, décédé à la suite d’une colision avec une voiture a été disséqué afin d’obtenir des prélévements. Quatre spécimens de tissu ont été prélévés dans les sites suivants : auriculaire (AUR), ventriculaire (AVE), atrial (ATR), sternopéritonéal (SPL) et phrénopéricardial (PPL). Chacun de ces spécimens a été analysé en histologie en microscopie électronique à balayage, ainsi q