Layer-by-layer biofabrication of coronary covered stents with clickable elastin-like recombinamers

• Published in: European polymer journal 2019-12, Vol.121, p.109334, Article 109334
• Main Authors: Fernández-Colino, Alicia, Wolf, Frederic, Moreira, Ricardo, Rütten, Stephan, Schmitz-Rode, Thomas, Rodríguez-Cabello, J. Carlos, Jockenhoevel, Stefan, Mela, Petra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adhesion; Arteries; Atherosclerosis; Biobased covered stents; Blood flow; Cardiovascular disease; Cells (biology); Chemical synthesis; Click chemistry; Coronary artery disease; Coronary stents; Coronary vessels; Crosslinking; Elastin; Elastin-like recombinamers; Hemocompatibility; Implantation; Layer-by-layer; Membranes; Organic chemistry; Perforation; Performance enhancement; Scanning electron microscopy; Stents; Stretching; Studies; Surgical implants
• ISSN: 0014-3057; 1873-1945
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2019.109334

[Display omitted] •Approach to fabricate coronary stents covered with elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs).•The resulting stents withstand simulated delivery procedure and high shear stress flow.•The ELR-membranes offer a surface with minimal platelet adhesion.•The RGD sequence on the ELR enables the development of an endothelial layer.•The recombinant nature of the ELRs allows for the introduction of further biological cues. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death around the world. Endovascular stenting is the preferred treatment option to restore blood flow in the coronary arteries due to the lower perioperative morbidity when compared with more invasive treatment options. However, stent failure is still a major clinical problem, and further technological solutions are required to improve the performance of current stents. Here, we developed coronary stents covered with elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs) by exploiting a layer-by-layer technique combined with catalyst-free click chemistry. The resulting ELR-covered stents were intact after an in vitro simulated implantation procedure by balloon dilatation, which evidenced the elastic performance of the membrane. Additionally, the stents were mechanically stable under high flow conditions, which is in agreement with the covalent and stable nature of the click chemistry crosslinking strategy exploited during the ELR-membrane manufacturing and the successful embedding of the stent. Minimal platelet adhesion was detected after blood exposure in a Chandler loop as shown by scanning electron microscopy. The seeding of human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on the ELR-membranes resulted in a confluent endothelial layer. These results prove the potential of this strategy to develop an advanced generation of coronary stents, with a stable and bioactive elastin-like membrane to exclude the atherosclerotic plaque from the blood stream or to seal coronary perforations and aneurysms, while providing a luminal surface with minimal platelet adhesion and favouring endothelialization.