Differential support of cell adhesion and growth by copolymers of polyurethane with hyaluronic acid

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A Vol. 101; no. 10; pp. 2870 - 2882
• Main Authors: Ruiz, Amaliris, Flanagan, Claire E., Masters, Kristyn S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2013; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Adsorption; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Cell Communication - drug effects; Cell Count; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; DNA - metabolism; electrospinning; Endothelial Cells - cytology; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Endothelial Cells - ultrastructure; endothelialization; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Fibroblasts - metabolism; hemocompatibility; Humans; hyaluronic acid; Hyaluronic Acid - pharmacology; Macrophages - cytology; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - metabolism; Materials Testing; Mechanical Phenomena; Medical sciences; Mice; Molecular Weight; NIH 3T3 Cells; polyurethane; Polyurethanes - pharmacology; Proteins - metabolism; Surface Properties; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; U937 Cells; Cell proliferation; Biological properties; hemocompatibility; Electrospinning; Endothelialization; Polyelectrolyte; Healing agent; Polyurethane; Cell adhesion; Biocompatibility; Glycosaminoglycan; Oside polymer; Biomaterial; Antirheumatic agent; Copolymer; Hyaluronic acid; Biomedical engineering; polyurethane; endothelialization; electrospinning; hyaluronic acid
• ISSN: 1549-3296; 1552-4965
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.34597

Mechanical mismatch, along with inadequate hemocompatibility and endothelialization, contribute to the high failure rate of many synthetic vascular grafts. However, due to the dueling nature of these requirements (i.e., inhibiting platelet adhesion frequently means inhibiting endothelial cell (EC) adhesion), the creation of materials that simultaneously satisfy the mechanical and biological design criteria needed for small diameter vascular grafts has been an elusive goal. In this work, we demonstrate the ability of polyurethane (PU) containing hyaluronic acid (HA) in its backbone structure to reduce protein adsorption, platelet and bacterial adhesion, and fibroblast and macrophage proliferation while allowing the retention of both ECs and vascular‐appropriate mechanics. Irrespective of HA molecular weight (MW), PU‐HA materials selectively supported the growth of ECs relative to fibroblasts, reduced platelet adhesion, and performed comparably to negative controls with respect to bactericidal activity. The extent of EC growth on the PU‐HA materials did differ with HA MW, with a lower HA MW yielding improved EC growth in both two‐dimensional (2‐D) films and 3‐D electrospun fibrous scaffolds. These findings illustrate that HA incorporated into the backbone of a synthetic polymer structure can retain bioactivity, with subtle differences in HA MW significantly impacting the physical and biological properties of the biomaterial; in particular, PU modified with low‐MW HA appears promising for vascular graft applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A: 2870–2882, 2013.