Low-thrombogenic fibrin-heparin coating promotes in vitro endothelialization

Long-term performance of implanted cardiovascular grafts can be ensured if living endothelium overgrows their surface. Surface modifications to implants are therefore being sought that can encourage endothelialization while preventing thrombus formation until the natural endothelium is formed. In the present study, heparin was covalently attached to a fibrin mesh grown from a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) substrate surface by the catalytic action of surface immobilized thrombin on a fibrinogen solution. The coating prevented platelet activation, thrombin generation and clot formation, and reduced inflammatory reactions when exposed to fresh human whole blood circulating in a Chandler loop model. In addition, in vitro seeded human umbilical vein and human saphenous vein endothelial cells showed considerably enhanced attachment and proliferation on the coating. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2995-3005, 2017.