Fabrication of Polycaprolactone/Polyurethane Loading Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Its Antiplatelet Adhesion

Abstract

Polycaprolactone/polyurethane (PCL/PU) fibrous scaffold was loaded with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by electrospinning method to improve the hemocompatibility of the polymeric surface. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observation were employed to characterize the chemical structure and the changing morphology of electrospun PCL/PU and PCL/PU loaded with CLA (PCL/PU-CLA) scaffolds. Platelet adhesion and whole blood clot formation tests were used to evaluate the effect of CLA on antithrombotic property of PCL/PU-CLA scaffold. Endothelial cells (EC) were also seeded on the scaffold to examine the difference in the morphology of EC layer and platelet attachment with and without the presence of CLA. SEM results showed that CLA supported the spreading and proliferation of EC and PCL/PU-CLA surface induced lower platelet adhesion as well as attachment of other blood cells compared to the PCL/PU one. These results suggest that electrospinning method can successfully combine the antiplatelet effects of CLA to improve hemocompatibility of PCL/PU scaffolds for applications in artificial blood vessels.

Effects of an Acetic Acid and Acetone Mixture on the Characteristics and Scaffold–Cell Interaction of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Membranes

“…Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes have been broadly applied in biomedical engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and slow degradation rate [1,2]. Common solvents used to dissolve PCL pellets for electrospinning include dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform.…”

Conjugated Linoleic Acid Grafting Improved Hemocompatibility of the Polycaprolactone Electrospun Membrane

“…CLA can be incorporated into electrospun materials either by direct loading into the solution before the electrospinning process or by chemical grafting on the surface after the spinning. As shown by our previous studies [18,19], the grafting of CLA outperformed the loading approach. Grafted CLA mostly resided on the surface of the fibers, so their bioactivity was preserved, helped to reduce the required amount of CLA, and did not alter other properties of the membrane.…”

Polyurethane/polycaprolactone membrane grafted with conjugated linoleic acid for artificial vascular graft application

“…However, its application as an antithrombotic approach for artificial vascular graft is still underdeveloped. The mentioned study [21] has yielded positive results regarding the antiplatelet adhesion properties of the material by introducing CLA into the composite. However, the direct loading of CLA into the polymeric fibers hampered the activity of CLA and weakened the structural integrity and mechanical properties of the membrane.…”

“…Previously, our group attempted to improve the antithrombotic properties of PU/PCL vessels by mixing the electrospinning polymer solution with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) [21]. This unsaturated fatty acid is a drug known for antithrombosis application [22].…”