Biologically Functionalized Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Blood Vessel Grafts

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases plague human health because of the lack of transplantable small-diameter blood vessel (SDBV) grafts. Although expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) has the potential to be used as a biocompatible material for SDBV grafts, long-term patency is still the biggest challenge. As discussed in this paper, by virtue of a novel material formulation and a new and benign alcohol/water lubricating agent, biofunctionalized ePTFE blood vessel grafts aimed at providing long-term patency were fabricated. Compared to the most prevalent modification of PTFE, namely surface treatment, this method realized bulk treatment, which could guarantee homogeneous and long-lasting performance throughout PTFE products. These blood vessel grafts included embedded functional biomolecules, such as arginylglycylaspartic acid, heparin, and selenocystamine, using water as a solvent in paste extrusion and in the expansion of ePTFE. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope results confirmed the existence of these targeting biomolecules in the as-fabricated ePTFE blood vessel grafts. Meanwhile, the greatly improved biological functions of the grafts were demonstrated via live and dead assays, cell morphology, CD31 staining, nitric oxide (NO) release, and anticoagulation tests. This novel and benign material formulation and fabrication method provides an opportunity to produce multibiofunctional ePTFE blood vessel grafts in a single step, thus yielding a potent product with significant commercial and clinical potential.

[Retracted] The Study of Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene New Material in Dural Repair

“…It has excellent biocompatibility and special microporous structure. It is used in wound dressings, heart valves, artificial blood vessels, cosmetic plastic surgery, and other fields which have been successfully applied; it is an ideal biological tissue replacement material [20][21][22][23]. In addition, studies on ePTFE in dural repair surgery revealed that ePTFE filling can significantly increase the success rate of surgery and effectively reduce the occurrence of complications such as syringomyelia.…”

Tissue Engineering for Mimics and Modulations of Immune Functions

“…First, heparin, a universal anticoagulant, was immobilized on graft surfaces to reinforce the antithrombotic properties. [ 30–41 ] Heparin interacted with antithrombin III and enhanced inhibition of blood coagulant factors including factor Xa and thrombin, thereby avoiding blood coagulation. [ 42 ] Heparin in multiple layers can be immobilized on ε ‐polycaprolactone (PCL) graft surfaces by combining EDC/NHS coupling and layer‐by‐layer assembly, preventing long‐term thrombus formation.…”

One‐step synthesis of composite materials based on polytetrafluoroethylene microgranules and Co@Fe2O3‐FeF2 nanoparticles

“…One attractive stabilizing material is finely dispersed poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), which consists of 0.1–0.5 μm granules 16 . The long lifetime of PTFE in aggressive environments makes it attractive for many innovative applications, including transplantation, 17 3D printing, 18 and environmental cleanup 19 …”