Alleviating Oxidative Injury of Myocardial Infarction by a Fibrous Polyurethane Patch with Condensed ROS-Scavenging...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cardiovascular Research
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to significant oxidative injury in the heart due to excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS).
• Developing drug-free antioxidant biomaterials is crucial for clinical translation to mitigate post-MI cardiac damage.
• There is a high demand for efficient ROS-scavenging biomaterials to protect the myocardium.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel segmented polyurethane (PFTU) with inherent ROS-scavenging capabilities.
• To evaluate the antioxidant properties and ROS-responsive degradation of PFTU/gelatin (PFTU/Gt) composite fibrous patches in vitro.
• To assess the in vivo efficacy of PFTU/Gt patches in reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and improving cardiac function after MI in a rat model.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of segmented polyurethane (PFTU) using poly(thioketal) dithiol (PTK), poly(propylene fumarate) diol (PPF), thioketal diamine, and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI).
• Characterization of PFTU chemical structure using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
• Fabrication of electrospun PFTU/gelatin (PFTU/Gt) fibrous patches and in vitro assessment of antioxidant capacity and ROS-responsive degradation.
• Surgical implantation of PFTU/Gt patches onto the heart surface of MI rats and subsequent in vivo evaluation of cardiac tissue parameters and function for 28 days.

Main Results:

• The synthesized PFTU exhibited a high density of ROS-scavenging backbone units, confirmed by spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses.
• PFTU/Gt patches demonstrated significant antioxidant capacity and controlled ROS-responsive degradation in vitro.
• In vivo implantation in MI rats led to decreased ROS levels, reduced membrane peroxidation, and lower cell apoptosis compared to control polyurethane patches.
• PFTU/Gt treatment resulted in reduced inflammation, fibrosis, and improved left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function post-MI.

Conclusions:

• A novel ROS-scavenging segmented polyurethane (PFTU) was successfully synthesized and fabricated into effective antioxidant biomaterial patches.
• The PFTU/Gt patches exhibit promising therapeutic potential for mitigating oxidative stress and improving cardiac outcomes after myocardial infarction.
• This drug-free biomaterial approach offers a viable strategy for clinical translation in treating post-MI cardiac injury.