Poly-dopamine, poly-levodopa, and poly-norepinephrine coatings: Comparison of physico-chemical and biological properties with focus on the application for blood-contacting devices

Abstract

Thanks to its simplicity, versatility, and secondary reactivity, dopamine self-polymerized coatings (pDA) have been widely used in surface modification of biomaterials, but the limitation in secondary molecular grafting and the high roughness restrain their application in some special scenarios. Therefore, some other catecholamine coatings analog to pDA have attracted more and more attention, including the smoother poly-norepinephrine coating (pNE), and the poly-levodopa coating (pLD) containing additional carboxyl groups. However, the lack of a systematic comparison of the properties, especially the biological properties of the above three catecholamine coatings, makes it difficult to give a guiding opinion on the application scenarios of different coatings. Herein, we systematically studied the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the three catecholamine coatings, and explored the feasibility of their application for the modification of biomaterials, especially cardiovascular materials. Among them, the pDA coating was the roughest, with the largest amount of amino and phenolic hydroxyl groups for molecule grafting, and induced the strongest platelet adhesion and activation. The pLD coating was the thinnest and most hydrophilic but triggered the strongest inflammatory response. The pNE coating was the smoothest, with the best hemocompatibility and histocompatibility, and with the strongest cell selectivity of promoting the proliferation of endothelial cells while inhibiting the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. To sum up, the pNE coating may be a better choice for the surface modification of cardiovascular materials, especially those for vascular stents and grafts, but it is still not widely recognized.

Effect of Substituents in Mussel‐inspired Surface Primers on their Oxidation and Priming Efficiency

“…The chemical structures of levodopa ( l ‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine, D 2 ) and norepinephrine (NE) are similar to D 1 , with the exception that D 2 has one more carboxylic group (−COOH) and NE has one more hydroxyl group (−OH) in its ethyl chain (i. e., alkyl chain substitution). The mechanism of coating of the catecholamines (D 1 /D 2 /NE) on a 316 L SS substrate (stainless steel, a biomaterial widely used in artificial hip joints) proceeds through different intermediates because of the alkyl chain substitution, resulting in different physical, chemical, and biological properties with various applications [26,40] …”

“…3,4‐Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) is an abundant amino acid, found in the byssal plaque of a mussel, which has a catechol functionality that contributes to interfacial surface adhesion. Therefore, researchers have synthesized DOPA‐mimetic small molecules or polymers for surface coating and functionalization [23–29] . The adhesive properties of these catecholic materials mainly depend on the configuration of the vicinal diol in the catechol ring, and the cohesive property of the catechol materials relies on the oxidation of catechol.…”

Challenges and strategies for in situ endothelialization and long-term lumen patency of vascular grafts

“…Synthetic polymers can provide sufficient mechanical strength in vascular graft construction, but inadequate bioactivity since lacking sufficient cellular recognition sites for cell adhesion [ 102 ]. Natural polymers with outstanding biocompatibility can provide enough cellular ligands [ 103 ].…”

Strategic Advances in Spatiotemporal Control of Bioinspired Phenolic Chemistries in Materials Science

“…[ 277 ] Compared to PDA and poly(DOPA), poly(norepinephrine) proves a more desirable blood‐contacting material to coat cardiovascular stents and grafts owing to its uniform coverage and great anticoagulant activity. [ 278 ] Unlocking related knowledge will unquestionably provide clues for application‐oriented spatiotemporal control of phenolic chemistries. Since the major challenge lies in the lack of inter‐/intrastudy comparison power, the importance of consistent control for variables is worthy of attention in future research designs.…”