The development of novel biodegradable vascular grafts of a small diameter (<6 mm) is an unmet clinical need for patients requiring arterial replacement. Here we performed a pre-clinical study of new small-caliber biodegradable vascular grafts using a sheep model of carotid artery implantation. The 4 mm diameter vascular grafts were manufactured using a mix of polyhydroxybutyrate/valerate and polycaprolactone supplemented with growth factors VEGF, bFGF and SDF-1α (PHBV/PCL-GFmix) and additionally modified by a polymer hydrogel coating with incorporation of drugs heparin and iloprost (PHBV/PCL-GFmixHep/Ilo). Animals with carotid artery autograft implantation and those implanted with clinically used GORE-TEX® grafts were used as control groups. We observed that 24 h following surgery, animals with carotid artery autograft implantation showed 87.5% patency, while all the PHBV/PCL-GFmix and GORE-TEX® grafts displayed thrombosis. PHBV/PCL-GFmixHep/Ilo grafts demonstrated 62.5% patency 24 h following surgery and it had remained at 50% 1 year post-operation. All the PHBV/PCL grafts completely degraded less than 1 year following surgery and were replaced by de novo vasculature without evidence of calcification. On the other hand, GORE-TEX® grafts displayed substantial amounts of calcium deposits throughout graft tissues. Thus, here we report a potential clinical usefulness of PHBV/PCL grafts upon their additional modification by growth factors and drugs to promote endothelialization and reduce thrombogenicity.

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Tissue-engineered vascular graft for the reconstruction of small arteries is still an unmet clinical need, despite the fact that a number of promising prototypes have entered preclinical development. Here we test Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)Poly(ε-caprolactone) 4-mm-diameter vascular grafts equipped with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) and surface coated with heparin and iloprost (PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo, n = 8) in a sheep carotid artery interposition model, using biostable vascular prostheses of expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE, n = 5) as a control. Primary patency of PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts was 62.5% (5/8) at 24 h postimplantation and 50% (4/8) at 18 months postimplantation, while all (5/5) ePTFE conduits were occluded within the 24 h after the surgery. At 18 months postimplantation, PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts were completely resorbed and replaced by the vascular tissue. Regenerated arteries displayed a hierarchical three-layer structure similar to the native blood vessels, being fully endothelialised, highly vascularised and populated by vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages. The most (4/5, 80%) of the regenerated arteries were free of calcifications but suffered from the aneurysmatic dilation. Therefore, biodegradable PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts showed better short- and long-term results than bio-stable ePTFE analogues, although these scaffolds must be reinforced for the efficient prevention of aneurysms.

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The aim of the study was to develop a technology for anti-thrombogenic drug coating of biodegradable porous scaffolds and to evaluate the physicomechanical and hemocompatible properties of functionally active vascular prostheses with and without a drug coating. Materials and Methods. Vascular prostheses from polyhydroxybutyrate/valerate and polycaprolactone with the incorporated vascular endothelial growth factor, the main fibroblast growth factor, and the chemoattractant SDF-1α were made by emulsion electrospinning. Additional surface modification of the prostheses was carried out by forming a hydrogel coating of polyvinylpyrrolidone capable of binding drugs as a result of complexation. Unfractionated heparin and iloprost were used as anti-thrombogenic drugs. Results. We show that after the modification of vascular prostheses with heparin and iloprost, a 5.8-fold increase in the Young’s modulus value was noted, which indicated a greater stiffness of these grafts compared to the unmodified controls. Platelet aggregation on the surface of heparin + iloprost coated vascular prostheses was 3.3 times less than that with the unmodified controls, and 1.8 times less compared to intact platelet-rich plasma. The surface of vascular prostheses with heparin and iloprost was resistant to adhesion of platelets and blood proteins. Conclusion. Drug (unfractionated heparin and iloprost) coating of the surface of biodegradable prostheses significantly improved the anti-thrombogenic properties of these grafts but contributed to the increased stiffness of the prostheses.

The report describes a project of industrial electron accelerator prototype for electron energy up to 5 MeV and beam power up to 300 kW specially designed for use in industrial applications. On the one of stage of work for design of its accelerating system we shall use the existing generator designed for ILU-8 accelerator. It is realized on the GI-50A triode and provides the pulse power up to 3 MW and up to 20-30 kW of average power. In the report the basic concepts and a condition of the project for today are reflected.

Creation of vascular grafts with atrombogenic and antimicrobial coating is a very important area.Objective: to evaluate the biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties of biodegradable vascular grafts of various polymer compositions with atrombogenic and antimicrobial drug coating.Materials and methods. Modification of the surface of the biodegradable vascular grafts was performed through complexation with polyvinylpyrrolidone, which was polymerized with polymer scaffold surface by means of ionizing radiation at 10 and 15 kGy. Physical and mechanical properties, as well as hemocompatibility were evaluated. Bacteriological studies were carried out using test strains of gram-negative and gram-positive microorganisms: Klebsiella pneumoniae spp. ozaena No. 5055, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Proteus mirabillis ATCC3177, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Results. There was no influence of modifying manipulations with ionizing radiation on the physical and mechanical characteristics of biodegradable prostheses. Vascular grafts with atrombogenic and antimicrobial coatings exhibited atrombogenic properties upon contact with blood, reducing platelet aggregation by 5–7 times (p < 0.05). Also decrease in adhesion and platelets deformation index was found on the surface of drug-eluting scaffolds (for PCL-based prostheses, the latter decreased by 1.9 times relative to unmodified counterparts (p < 0.05), for PHBV/PCL-based prostheses – by 1.3 times relative to unmodified counterparts and 1.5 times relative to scaffolds with polyvinylpyrrolidone (p < 0.05). Bacteriological studies revealed a local inhibitory effect in the place where scaffolds with cationic amphiphile were applied on agar. No growth retardation zones were identified. Polymeric composition of the scaffolds and the used dose of ionizing radiation did not lead to a difference in the bacteriostatic properties of the scaffolds with amphiphile.Conclusion. A full cycle of surface modification of biodegradable polymer prostheses based on both PCL and РHBV/PCL composition resulted in significant increase in the atrombogenic and antimicrobial properties of prostheses and did not worsen the physical-mechanical and biocompatible properties of the structures being developed.