Influence of PHA Substrate Surface Characteristics on the Functional State of Endothelial Cells

The needs of modern regenerative medicine for biodegradable polymers are wide and varied. Restoration of the viability of the vascular tree is one of the most important components of the preservation of the usefulness of organs and tissues. The creation of vascular implants compatible with blood is an important task of vascular bioengineering. The function of the endothelial layer of the vessel, being largely responsible for the development of thrombotic complications, is of great importance for hemocompatibility. The development of surfaces with specific characteristics of biomaterials that are used in vascular technologies is one of the solutions for their correct endothelialization. Linear polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable structural polymeric materials suitable for obtaining various types of implants and tissue engineering, having a wide range of structural and physicomechanical properties. The use of PHA of various monomeric compositions in endothelial cultivation makes it possible to evaluate the influence of material properties, especially surface characteristics, on the functional state of cells. It has been established that PHA samples with the inclusion of 3-hydroxyhexanoate have optimal characteristics for the formation of a human umbilical vein endothelial cell, HUVEC, monolayer in terms of cell morphology as well as the levels of expression of vinculin and VE-cadherin. The obtained results provide a rationale for the use of PHA copolymers as materials for direct contact with the endothelium in vascular implants.