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

Abstract

Constructing satisfied small-diameter vascular graft (diameter less than 6 mm) remains an unsolvable challenge in vascular tissue engineering. This study described the fabrication of electrospun polyurethane/polycaprolactone (PU/PCL) membranes chemically grafted with various densities of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)an antithrombotic fatty acidfor making small-diameter blood vessel. Differences in mechanical, antithrombotic properties and biocompatibility of the membranes resulting from the CLA-grafting procedure were the focus of the study. Investigation of mechanical properties relevant to vascular graft application revealed that these properties of the membranes remained unaffected and satisfied clinical criteria following the CLA graft. Blood-membrane interaction assays showed that the CLA-grafted membranes mitigated the adhesion of blood cells, as well as preventing blood coagulation. These effects were also commensurate with increasing density of CLA, suggesting an effective approach to improve antithromboticity. Cellular tests suggested that CLA has an optimal density at which it promoted cell proliferation on the surface of the membranes; however, excessive presence of CLA might cause undesirable inhibition on cells. In conclusion, PU/PCL membrane grafted with CLA could be a prospective material for vascular tissue engineering with further development and investigation.

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.…”

“…Regarding the grafting of CLA, we hypothesized that plasma treatment can introduce hydroxyl groups onto the surface of the PCL membrane. Then, CLA can form a complex with the carbodiimide crosslinker EDC and bind to this -OH group via esterification [19]. Firstly, FT-IR spectroscopy was conducted to verify the presence of CLA.…”

Antimicrobial Hydrophilic Membrane Formed by Incorporation of Polymeric Surfactant and Patchouli Oil

“…Besides acting as a structure modifying agent, the additive material can minimize the propensity of biofouling during the filtration process by increasing the membrane surface hydrophylicity. Alternatively, post-treatment through membrane surface grafting with certain monomers can also be employed [8][9][10][11], or surface coating by a specific polymers [12].…”

Elastomeric Electrospun Scaffolds of a Biodegradable Aliphatic Copolyester Containing PEG-Like Sequences for Dynamic Culture of Human Endothelial Cells

“…In order to improve the antithrombogenic properties of polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering, an oxygen plasma treatment of the mat, aimed at inducing the graft copolymerization of acrylamide monomer, has been recently proposed [24]. In another very recent study, small diameter vascular grafts were produced from electrospun polyurethane/PCL mats that were chemically grafted with linoleic acid, an antithrombogenic fatty acid in order to prevent blood coagulation without affecting the mechanical properties [25]. Electrospun vascular graft scaffolds were also produced starting from blends of synthetic and natural polymers.…”