Studies on the Mechanisms of Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Heparin- and Hyaluronan-Containing Multilayer Coatings-Targeting NF-κB Signalling Pathway

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2020-05, Vol.21 (10), p.3724
• Main Authors: Alkhoury, Hala, Hautmann, Adrian, Fuhrmann, Bodo, Syrowatka, Frank, Erdmann, Frank, Zhou, Guoying, Stojanović, Sanja, Najman, Stevo, Groth, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-inflammatory agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anticoagulants; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biomedical materials; Cell activation; Cell Adhesion; Cell adhesion & migration; Chitosan; Coatings; Confocal microscopy; Contact angle; Cytokines; Endocytosis; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Giant cells; Giant Cells - drug effects; Giant Cells - physiology; Glycosaminoglycans; Heparin; Heparin - analogs & derivatives; Heparin - pharmacology; Humans; Hyaluronic acid; Hyaluronic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Hyaluronic Acid - pharmacology; IL-1β; Immunoblotting; Immunofluorescence; Implantation; Inflammation; Inflammatory response; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; LbL technique; Macrophages; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - physiology; macrophages adhesion; Medical equipment; Microscopy; Multilayers; multinucleated giant cell (MNGCs) formation; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB; NF-κB protein; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Physicochemical properties; Polyethyleneimine; Proteins; Scanning microscopy; Signal Transduction; Silicon wafers; Surgical implants; Thickness; THP-1 Cells; Topography; Transcription factors; Transplants & implants; Wettability
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103724

The use of implants can be hampered by chronic inflammatory reactions, which may result in failure of the implanted device. To prevent such an outcome, the present study examines the anti-inflammatory properties of surface coatings made of either hyaluronic acid (HA) or heparin (Hep) in combination with chitosan (Chi) prepared as multilayers through the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The properties of glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-modified surfaces were characterized in terms of surface topography, thickness and wettability. Results showed a higher thickness and hydrophilicity after multilayer formation compared to poly (ethylene imine) control samples. Moreover, multilayers containing either HA or Hep dampened the inflammatory response visible by reduced adhesion, formation of multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) and IL-1β release, which was studied using THP-1 derived macrophages. Furthermore, investigations regarding the mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of GAG were focused on nuclear transcription factor-кB (NF-κB)-related signal transduction. Immunofluorescence staining of the p65 subunit of NF-κB and immunoblotting were performed that showed a significant decrease in NF-κB level in macrophages on GAG-based multilayers. Additionally, the association of FITC-labelled GAG was evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry showing that macrophages were able to associate with and take up HA and Hep. Overall, the Hep-based multilayers demonstrated the most suppressive effect making this system most promising to control macrophage activation after implantation of medical devices. The results provide an insight on the anti-inflammatory effects of GAG not only based on their physicochemical properties, but also related to their mechanism of action toward NF-κB signal transduction.