Long-Term Effects of Novel Combination Coating Anti-CD34 Antibody Applied on Sirolimus-Eluting Stents.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether the combination coating of a novel "prohealing coating" hyaluronan-chitosan (HC) and anti-CD34 antibody applied on an SES (HCASES) can reduce neointimal formation while promoting endothelialization compared to either agent alone. BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stents have considerably reduced the incidence of in-stent restenosis compared with bare metal stents. However, the beneficial effect of drug elution is overshadowed by delayed re-endothelialization as well as later "catch-up" proliferation related to the drug. METHODS: Three different stents Sirolimus-eluting stents (SES), Genous anti-CD34 antibody stents (GS), and the combination of HC-anti-CD34 antibody with sirolimus-eluting stents (HCASES) were deployed in 54 normal porcine coronary arteries and harvested for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histological analysis at 60, 90, and 120 days. RESULTS: At 60 and 90 days, SEM analysis showed stent surface endothelial coverage was nearly completed in the HCASES (87 ± 3%, 95 ± 3%) compared with that in the SES (68 ± 6%, 77 ± 8%, P = 0.03). Histological examination at 90 days showed that the HCASES group had less percentage of stenosis than the GS group (P < 0.05). At 120 days, SEM showed a significantly higher extent of endothelial coverage above struts in the HCASES (96 ± 2%) and the GS (95 ± 3%) as compared with the SES group (66 ± 3%; P = 0.02). The HCASES group showed less stenosis than that in the GS group (P < 0.05), but it was not significantly different from the SES group (P = 0.063). CONCLUSIONS: Histological and SEM analyses demonstrate that the HCASES can reduce neointimal formation and inflammation while promoting endothelialization in the long term.