Tissue-engineered
vascular graft (TEVG) is a promising alternative
to meet the clinical demand of organ shortages. Herein, human hair
keratin was extracted by the reduction method, followed by modification
with zwitterionic 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) through
thiol–Michael addition to improve blood clotting nature. Then,
phosphobetainized keratin (PK) was coelectrospun with poly(ε-caprolactone)
(PCL) to afford PCL/PK mats with a ratio of 7:3. The surface morphology,
chemical structure, and wettability of these mats were characterized.
The biocomposite mats selectively enhanced adhesion, migration, and
growth of endothelial cells (ECs) while suppressed proliferation of
smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the presence of glutathione (GSH) and
GSNO due to the catalytic generation of NO. In addition, these mats
exhibited good blood anticoagulant activity by reducing platelet adhesion,
prolonging blood clotting time, and inhibiting hemolysis. Taken together,
these NO-generating PCL/PK mats have potential applications as a scaffold
for vascular tissue engineering with rapid endothelialization and
reduced SMC proliferation.