Preparation of Vascular Endothelial Cadherin Loaded-Amphoteric Copolymer Decorated Coronary Stents for Anticoagulation and Endothelialization

A new strategy for preparation of blood-contact materials, with their short-term anticoagulation depending on zwitterionic structure and long-term hemocompatibility based on endothelialization, was proposed, performed, and proved. The copolymer made of sulfonamide zwitterionic and acrylic acid was designed and synthesized, and grafted to the surface of the bare metal coronary stent. Then, the vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cad), one of the specific antibodies of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), was fixed onto the copolymer chain. Finally, it is proved by in vitro blood tests that the coronary stent decorated with VE-Cad loaded-amphoteric copolymer displayed good platelet anti-adhesion characteristic. This anti-adhesion characteristic was attributed to the zwitterionic structure and the biofunctionality of specifically capturing EPCs confirmed by the results that the antibody-decorated coronary stent was trapped with EPCs. Finally, the in vivo implantation experiments of the antibody-decorated coronary stent in rabbit for 4 weeks were carried out. Results indicated that the endothelium and smooth surface of the antibody-loaded stent was found to be due to the covered effect of EPCs, without obvious intimal hyperplasia. The strategy we proposed has great potential in the design and preparation of blood-contact biomedical materials and devices.