Biomimetic Antithrombotic Tissue‐Engineered Vascular Grafts for Converting Cholesterol and Free Radicals into Nitric Oxide

• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202300340
• Publication Date: 2023-05-08T12:27:51Z
• Authors: Dongcheng Yang; Yanzhao Li; Ju Tan; Wenya Li; Zilu Xu; Jianhua Xu; Wenhui Xu; Chunli Hou; Jingting Zhou; Gang Li; Mingcan Yang; Yong Liu; Qiaorui Tang; Xiaohan Zhang; Wen Zeng; Xuli Feng; Chuhong Zhu
• Keywords: Fibrinolytic Agents; Cardiovascular Diseases; Biomimetics; Humans; Endothelial Cells; Nitric Oxide; Arginine; 3. Good health; Blood Vessel Prosthesis

AbstractSmall‐diameter tissue‐engineered vascular grafts (sdTEVGs) are essential materials used in bypass or replacement surgery for cardiovascular diseases; however, their application efficacy is limited because of patency rates, especially under hyperlipidemia, which is also clinically observed in patients with cardiovascular diseases. In such cases, improving sdTEVG patency is challenging because cholesterol crystals easily cause thrombosis and impede endothelialization. Herein, the development of a biomimetic antithrombotic sdTEVG incorporating cholesterol oxidase and arginine into biomineralized collagen–gold hydrogels on a sdTEVG surface is described. Biomimetic antithrombotic sdTEVGs represent a multifunctional substrate for the green utilization of hazardous substances and can convert cholesterol into hydrogen peroxide, which can react with arginine to generate nitric oxide (NO). NO is a vasodilator that can simulate the antithrombotic action of endothelial cells under hyperlipidemic conditions. In vivo studies show that sdTEVGs can rapidly produce large amounts of NO via a cholesterol catalytic cascade to inhibit platelet aggregation, thereby improving the blood flow velocity and patency rates 60 days after sdTEVG transplantation. A practical and reliable strategy for transforming “harmful” substances into “beneficial” factors at early transplantation stages is presented, which can also promote vascular transplantation in patients with hyperlipidemia.