Analysis of the effectiveness of various protein coatings for optimizing the endothelialization of polymer matrices

Background. Due to the constant increase in the number of surgeries to restore blood flow in the affected vessels, the development of synthetic prostheses is relevant. One of the key success factors is an increase in the adhesive properties of the inner surface, since the rapid endothelialization of vascular prostheses is considered a factor necessary to prevent thrombosis and neointimal hypertrophy.

Aim: To determine the effect of surface modification of polymer matrices with fibrin, fibronectin, or type I collagen on the adhesion and viability of endothelial cells.

Material and Methods. Polymer matrices prepared by electrospinning from a mixture of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and poly(ε-caprolactone) were studied. Matrix samples were coated with type I collagen or fibronectin or fibrin. Then, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were colonized on the matrices and cultured for 3 days. Unmodified matrices and culture plate wells were used as controls. Cell viability was assessed by combined staining with Hoechst 33342 and ethidium bromide. The metabolic activity of the cells was studied using the MTT test. Cell adhesion was analyzed by staining for F-actin. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using the GraphPrism 7.0 program.

Results. It was found that the number of adherent cells and their metabolic activity of matrices with collagen did not differ from unmodified ones. Coating with fibronectin demonstrated higher rates of cell adhesion to the surface.  However, a rather high level of cell death in this group indicates that such a modification cannot fully ensure the normal functioning of cells. Finally, we observed the best results when using a fibrin coating, which was comparable to culture plastic in terms of adhesion and viability of endothelial cells.

Conclusion. Modification of the surface of polymer matrices with fibrin can significantly improve their adhesive properties and can be used in the development of polymer prostheses for small-diameter vessels.

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