Mechanical and physio-biological properties of peptide-coated stent for re-endothelialization.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanical and physio-biological properties of peptide-coated stent (PCS) compared to commercialized drug-eluting stents (DESs). METHODS: WKYMVm (Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met), a stimulating peptide for homing endothelial colony-forming cell was specially synthesized and coated to bare metal stent (BMS) by dopamine-derived coordinated bond. Biological effects of PCS were investigated by endothelial cell proliferation assay and pre-clinical animal study. And mechanical properties were examined by various experiment. RESULTS: The peptide was well-coated to BMS and was maintained and delivered to 21 and 7 days in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Moreover, the proliferation of endothelial cell in PCS group was increased (approximately 36.4 ± 5.77%) in PCS group at 7 day of culture compare to BMS. Although, the radial force of PCS was moderated among study group. The flexibility of PCS was (0.49 ± 0.082 N) was greatest among study group. PCS did not show the outstanding performance in recoil and foreshortening test (3.1 ± 0.22% and 2.1 ± 0.06%, respectively), which was the reasonable result under the guide line of FDA (less than 7.0%). The nominal pressure (3.0 mm in a diameter) of PCS established by compliance analysis was 9 atm. The changing of PCS diameter by expansion was similar to other DESs, which is less than 10 atm of pressure for the nominal pressure. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the PCS is not inferior to commercialized DES. In addition, since the PCS was fabricated as polymer-free process, secondary coating with polymer-based immunosuppressive drugs such as -limus derivatives may possible.