title: Bioresorbable polystatin fourth-generation stents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Stents have evolved through three generations, the latest of which are totally bioresorbable to include drugs targeting restenosis, the surface polymer eluting those drugs, and scaffolds on which those drugs are coated. These scaffolds, however, thus far, have been pharmacologically inactive and remain a potential site for delivering a second drug. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the possibility of modifying a bioresorbable polymer so that it can double as a scaffold for both a stent and a drug targeting impaired re-endothelialization and stent thrombosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We successfully modified a standard bioresorbable terpolymer in a way found to be consistent with the covalent incorporation of lovastatin, as seen on NMR, into a backbone comprised of lactide, glycolide, ε-caprolactone, and lovastatin (60 : 15 : 10 : 15 parts by weight), respectively. This was accomplished through a reaction of the four components of the polymer at 100°C for 18 h in the presence of an alcohol initiator and a scandium catalyst. The resulting terpolymer was fabricated into a scaffold using a novel RSF system developed by 3D Biotek.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It preliminarily appears feasible to fabricate a fourth-generation bioresorbable stent that has the potential to deliver two drugs to the site of the procedure-related vessel lumen injury.
authors.affiliation: Regranion LLC, Mount Pleasant, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464, USA. kaehtn007@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Wayne H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kaesemeyer
authors.forename: Kelly G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Sprankle
authors.forename: Jon N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kremsky
authors.forename: Wing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Helmus
authors.forename: Gautam S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ghatnekar
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D004337:Drug Carriers; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008422:Materials Testing; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D011474:Prosthesis Design
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011108:Polymers; D008148:Lovastatin