The Role of Poly-glycerol Sebacate/Gelatin Coating Layer on Biological Features and Calcification Rate of 3D Melt-Molded Antibacterial Scaffold for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Heart valve disorders (HVD) caused by medical complications like calcification, thrombosis and infective endocarditis are a reason for cardiac dysfunctionality. The main aim of the present study was to develop a 3D polymeric antibacterial heart valve to prevent endocarditis and infection at the surgical site, through heart valve tissue engineering (HVTE), as a novel approach for the treatment of HVD. In this regard, using a 3D printed designed mold, a scaffold of poly glycerol sebacate: polycaprolactone: gelatin (50:40:10) containing ciprofloxacin, a broad-spectrum antibacterial drug, was made using melt molding method (D1 scaffold). Then, a layer of PGS-gelatin was coated on the optimized scaffold using a dip coating and EDC-NHS cross-linking agent (D2 scaffold). Based on the results, the D1 presented a 21.17 +/- 0.8 degrees contact angle while in D2 it was 37.49 +/- 1.3 degrees. The calcification rate also showed a lower amount of calcium and phosphorus deposition on the crosslinked surface of D2 (6.12 +/- 0.35 mu g mg(-1)) compared with D1 (14.2 +/- 1.27 mu g mg(-1)). D2 also demonstrated a remarkable antibacterial activity which was effective against Gram- negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The in vitro release profile showed that D2 can release ciprofloxacin gradually and continuously for over 140 h. The D2 showed a non-thrombogenic interface based on blood compatibility testing. Cell study results assessed by the Alamar Blue, Calcein-AM, and Hoechst stain assay, revealed that the human cardiac fibroblasts grew well on D2 compared to D1. The results of the present study support the main idea of creating an antibacterial and biocompatible 3D biomimetic heart valve for HVTE. [GRAPHICS] .