Attachment of Human Endothelial Cells to Polyester Vascular Grafts: Pre-Coating With Adhesive Protein Assemblies and Resistance to Short-Term Shear Stress

Cardiovascular prosthetic bypass grafts do not endothelialize spontaneously in humans, and so they pose a thrombotic risk. Seeding with cells improves their performance, particularly in small-caliber applications. Knitted tubular polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) vascular prostheses (6 mm) with commercial type I collagen (PET/Co) were modified in the lumen by the adsorption of laminin (LM), by coating with a fibrin network (Fb) or a combination of Fb and fibronectin (Fb/FN). Primary human saphenous vein endothelial cells were seeded (1.50 x 105/cm(2)), cultured for 72 h and exposed to laminar shear stress 15 dyn/cm(2) for 40 and 120 min. The control static grafts were excluded from shearing. The cell adherence after 4 h on PET/Co, PET/Co + LM, PET/Co + Fb and PET/Co + Fb/FN was 22 %, 30 %, 19 % and 27 % of seeding, respectively. Compared to the static grafts, the cell density on PET/Co and PET/Co + LM dropped to 61 % and 50 %, respectively, after 120 min of flow. The cells on PET/Co + Fb and PET/Co + Fb/FN did not show any detachment during 2 h of shear stress. Pre-coating the clinically-used PET/Co vascular prosthesis with LM or Fb/FN adhesive protein assemblies promotes the adherence of endothelium. Cell retention under flow is improved particularly on fibrin-containing (Fb and Fb/FN) surfaces.