The in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility evaluation of heparin-poly(ε-caprolactone) conjugate for vascular tissue engineering scaffolds.
Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was conjugated with heparin and fabricated into nonwoven tubular scaffold by electrospinning. The dynamic contact angle analysis revealed the hydrophilicity improvement due to heparin concentrating on the conjugate surface. The microbicinchoninic acid and quartz crystal microbalance measurements implied that the conjugate can significantly reduce the absorption of plasma protein, such as albumin and fibrinogen, indicative of the good blood biocompatibility. As evidenced by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, the electrospun conjugate scaffolds possessed a higher loading capability of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) than that of the blank PCL in aqueous solution via static interaction. The viability of loaded VEGF was evaluated by cell culture and adhesion tests. The amount and morphology of cells were substantially improved after VEGF was loaded into scaffolds exhibiting excellent cell biocompatibility. To assess the in vivo biocompatibility, a tubular scaffold (L = 4 cm, D = 2 mm) was transplanted into dog's femoral artery. The scaffold patency was inspected by carotid artery angiography 4 weeks after implantation. The explanted scaffold was also investigated by histological analysis including hematoxyline eosin, Millere Masson (collagen and elastin), and von Kossa (calcium) stain. Furthermore, von Willebrand factor immunohistochemical stain was performed to examine the formation of endothelial layer. The conjugate shows the potential to be used as scaffold materials in vascular tissue engineering.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
Lin
L
Ye
Xin
X
Wu
Hong-Yong
HY
Duan
Xue
X
Geng
Bing
B
Chen
Yong-Quan
YQ
Gu
Ai-Ying
AY
Zhang
Jian
J
Zhang
Zeng-Guo
ZG
Feng
D000327:Adsorption; D000792:Angiography; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004285:Dogs; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011091:Polyesters; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C016240:polycaprolactone; D006493:Heparin