Glycoconjugate mediated endothelial cell adhesion to Dacron polyester film*

Comparative Cell Response to Artificial Extracellular Matrix Proteins Containing the RGD and CS5 Cell-Binding Domains

This study addresses endothelial cell adhesion and spreading on a family of artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) proteins designed for application in small-diameter vascular grafts. The aECM proteins contain domains derived from elastin and from fibronectin. aECM 1 contains the RGD sequence from the tenth type III domain of fibronectin; aECM 3 contains the fibronectin CS5 cell-binding domain. Negative control proteins aECM 2 and 4 are scrambled versions of aECM 1 and 3, respectively. Competitive peptide inhibition studies and comparisons of positive and negative control proteins confirm that adhesion of HUVECs to aECM proteins 1 and 3 is sequence specific. When subjected to a normal detachment force of 780 pN, 3-fold more HUVECs remained adherent to aECM 1 than to aECM 3. HUVECs also spread more rapidly on aECM 1 than on aECM 3. These results (i) indicate that cellular responses to aECM proteins can be modulated through choice of cell-binding domain and (ii) recommend the RGD sequence for applications that require rapid endothelial cell spreading and matrix adhesion.

Cellular engineering of vascular bypass grafts: role of chemical coatings for enhancing endothelial cell attachment

Surgical treatment of vascular disease has become common. The use of synthetic materials is limited to grafts larger than 5-6mm, because of the frequency of occlusion observed with small-diameter prosthetics. An alternative would be a hybrid or tissue-engineered graft with the surface coated with a monolayer of the patient's own cells. Currently, to be effective, high-density seeding regimens have to be undertaken. This is because endothelial cells (ECs) are washed off the graft lumen once exposed to physiological blood flow. EC attachment has been shown to be significantly improved by pre-coating with substances known to attach ECs selectively. The review examines the various types of coating and bonding technology used to date to enhance endothelial cell attachment onto the surface of prosthetic vascular bypass grafts.

Modification of polyethylene terephthalate (Dacron) via denier reduction: effects on material tensile strength, weight, and protein binding capabilities

Thrombosis remains a significant and potentially catastrophic complication of polyethylene terephthalate (Dacron) prosthetic vascular graft implantation. Numerous attempts have been made to create a novel surface that reduces the adverse effects of blood interaction with the material. The purpose of this study was to create reactive groups on Dacron without significantly altering the chemical and physical properties of the biomaterial. These groups would then serve as "anchor sites" for covalent attachment of the blood protein albumin to the surface, thus creating a more biocompatible surface. Denier reduction, an established textile chemistry procedure that creates carboxyl groups on the fiber surface via hydrolysis of the material, was performed at 100 degrees C using sodium hydroxide concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0% (treated materials referred to as 0.5% hydrolyzed etc.). Tensile strength determination of hydrolyzed materials revealed no statistically significant difference in material strength between control, 0.5, and 1.0% hydrolyzed materials; the 2.5 and 5.0% hydrolyzed materials had significant strength loss as compared to the controls. Significant fiber weight loss occurred in the 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0% hydrolyzed Dacron segments. The 0.5% hydrolyzed material did not have any significant weight loss. Covalent linkage of 125I-albumin to these modified materials using the crosslinker 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) resulted in the 0.5% hydrolyzed material having the greatest protein binding (330 ng/mg Dacron, 2,4-fold greater than control). Incubation of the 0.5% hydrolyzed material with EDC and various concentrations of 125I-albumin resulted in the 14.80 microM solution permitting the greatest binding per milligram Dacron (330 ng/mg Dacron). Scanning electron microscopy, performed blindly, revealed no change in the 0.5% hydrolyzed Dacron as compared to untreated Dacron. The 5.0% hydrolyzed Dacron, however, had noticeable structural damage on the outer periphery of the fiber surface. Observation of the untreated Dacron with nonspecifically bound albumin showed scattered areas of albumin adherent to the fiber surface whereas covalent linkage of albumin to the 0.5% hydrolyzed Dacron via EDC crosslinking showed numerous albumin moieties on each fiber. This study demonstrates that a clinically accepted biomaterial (Dacron) can be chemically modified, without significantly altering the physical and chemical characteristics of the biomaterial, in order to covalently bind albumin to the fiber surface. Thus, these results serve as foundation for creating potential novel biomaterials without significantly altering the properties of the original biomaterial.