Development and Fabrication of Vapor Cross-Linked Hyaluronan–Polyethylene Interpenetrating Polymer Network as a Biomaterial

Abstract

Flexible heart valve leaflets made from hyaluronan-enhanced linear low-density polyethylene interpenetrating polymeric network (HA-LLDPE IPN) films have been shown to provide good hemodynamics, but the resulting surfaces were not consistent; therefore, the present work tries to mitigate this problem by developing a vapor cross-linked HA-LLDPE IPN. Herein, the HA-LLDPE fabrication process is studied, and its parameters are varied to assess their effects on the IPN formation. Thermal analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to quantify the effects of different treatment conditions on material properties. Water contact angle goniometry, infrared spectroscopy, and toluidine blue O (TBO) staining were used to characterize the surface of the HA-LLDPE IPN. The results show that a hydrophilic surface is formed on HA-LLDPE, which is indicative of HA. HA surface density data from TBO staining show consistent HA distribution on the surface. The IPN fabrication process does not affect the tensile properties that make LLDPE an attractive material for use in flexible heart valve leaflets. The 28 day in vitro biological assays show HA-LLDPE to be noncytotoxic and resistant to enzymatic degradation. The HA-LLDPE showed less platelet adhesion and caused less platelet activation than the plain LLDPE or tissue culture polystyrene. All of the results indicate that vapor cross-linked HA-LLDPE IPN is a promising material for use as flexible leaflets for heart valve replacements.

Free-aldehyde neutralized and oligohyaluronan loaded bovine pericardium with improved anti-calcification and endothelialization for bioprosthetic heart valves

“…In addition, there were no significant changes in the biomechanical properties, microstructure, collagen stability or thermal characteristics of OHA-loaded pericardial tissue, which also indicated that OHA loading caused no structural damage to Glut-crosslinked valve tissue. However, OHA-loaded pericardial tissue had better hydrophilicity, suggesting that OHA may reduce thrombus formation by the material ( Bui et al, 2019 ), and in the platelet adhesion test, OHA-loaded pericardium significantly reduced platelet adhesion, suggesting that it may have better antithrombotic properties.…”

Porous biomaterials for tissue engineering: a review

“…PE has a successful track record for bone implants [81][82][83] and was recently investigated for cardiovascular applications, e.g., heart valves. 84,85 Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is commonly used as an articulating material in total hip/knee replacements due to its chemical inertness, high biostability and compatibility with the joint space. Also, novel applications of this material have raised interest in the biomedical field.…”

Treatment of nonwoven polypropylene to increase adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

“…Alterations to current PPE materials, specifically nonwoven polypropylene used as a filtration layer in masks would be much faster, and our research group has already developed a method for incorporating a non-toxic and potentially viricidal biological polymer, hyaluronic acid, into plastics. [10][11][12][13] Furthermore, we have developed two cost effective methods to increase spike protein adhesion to nonwoven PP. The methods used to alter the nonwoven PP are well studied and documented to be non-toxic.…”

“…[18][19][20][21] Finally hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polymer that our group has extensively evaluated for cytotoxicity and have been successfully implanted in multiple large animal models. 10,13,22,23 Experimental section…”