Arginine-grafted porcine pericardium by copolymerization to improve the cytocompatibility, hemocompatibility and anti-calcification properties of bioprosthetic heart valve materials

J Mater Chem B. 2022 Jul 27;10(29):5571-5581. doi: 10.1039/d2tb00798c.

Abstract

Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) have been used widely due to the development of transcatheter heart valve replacement technology. However, glutaraldehyde crosslinked pericardium (GA), which is widely used as a leaflet material for BHVs, still has disadvantages, including cytotoxicity, thrombosis, and calcification, which lead to the dysfunction and degeneration of BHVs. Herein, we prepared a methacrylated arginine-grafted BHV through the copolymerization of methacrylated arginine and methacrylated porcine pericardium (PP). Briefly, PP was crosslinked by glutaraldehyde and methacrylated polylysine (pLy-MA) to obtain methacrylated PP (pLy-GA), and the pLy-GA was then copolymerized with methacrylated arginine to prepare methacrylated arginine-grafted PP (pLy-GA-Arg). The introduction of Arg-MA improved the ability of PP to resist platelet adhesion, and compared with GA, platelet adhesion decreased by 78% which exhibited improved antithrombotic properties. pLy-GA-Arg exhibited improved cytocompatibility and the relative proliferation rate of HUVECs increased by 2 times compared with GA. After 60 days of subcutaneous implantation, the calcification degree of pLy-GA-Arg was significantly lower than that of GA (4.37 ± 0.33 μg mg-1versus 157.46 ± 41.74 μg mg-1). The introduction of arginine improved the hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of PP and reduced its calcification, offering a potential option for BHV fabrication in the future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arginine / pharmacology
  • Bioprosthesis*
  • Calcinosis*
  • Glutaral
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis*
  • Heart Valves
  • Pericardium
  • Swine

Substances

  • Arginine
  • Glutaral