Improvement of Endothelial Cell-Polycaprolactone Interaction through Surface Modification via Aminolysis, Hydrolysis, and a Combined Approach

Femke Bellen, Elisa Carbone, Pieter Baatsen, Elizabeth A. V. Jones, Fatemeh Kabirian*, Ruth Heying

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a promising material for the fabrication of alternatives to autologous grafts used in coronary bypass surgery. PCL biodegrades over time, allowing cells to infiltrate the polymeric matrix, replacing the biodegrading graft, and creating a fully functional vessel constituted of autologous tissue. However, the high hydrophobicity of PCL is associated with poor cell affinity. Surface modification of PCL can increase this cell affinity, making PCL an improved scaffold material for acellular vascular grafts. In this study, the surface of PCL films was modified by hydrolysis, aminolysis, and the combination thereof to introduce carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amino groups on the surface. Only the hydrolyzed films exhibited a significant increase in their hydrophilicity, although further testing showed that all aminolysis conditions had amino groups on the surface. Furthermore, in vitro experiments with human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) were performed to assess changes in cell affinity for PCL due to the surface treatments. PCL treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a hydrolysis reaction, showed a significant increase in endothelial cell adhesion after 24 hours with a significant increase in cell survival after 72 hours. Thus, NaOH treatment improves the biocompatibility and endothelialization of PCL, creating a competent candidate for artificial, acellular, biodegradable vascular grafts.
Original languageEnglish
Article number5590725
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Volume2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2023

Keywords

  • VASCULAR GRAFTS
  • POLYESTERS
  • SCAFFOLDS
  • POLY(EPSILON-CAPROLACTONE)
  • CONSTRUCTION
  • BIOMATERIALS
  • DEGRADATION
  • ADHESION
  • COLLAGEN
  • RELEASE

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Improvement of Endothelial Cell-Polycaprolactone Interaction through Surface Modification via Aminolysis, Hydrolysis, and a Combined Approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this