Modification
by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides is a promising approach
to improve the biocompatibility of biodegradable vascular patches
for arteriotomy. In this study, we evaluated the performance of vascular
patches electrospun using a blend of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyhydroxybutyrate/valerate
(PHBV) and additionally modified with RGDK, AhRGD, and c[RGDFK] peptides
using 1,6-hexamethylenediamine or 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine
(TTDDA) linkers. We examined mechanical properties and hemocompatibility
of resulting patches before implanting them in rat abdominal aortas
to assess their performance in vivo. Patches were explanted 1, 3,
6, and 12 months postoperation followed by histological and immunofluorescence
analyses. Patches manufactured from the human internal mammary artery
or commercially available KemPeriplas-Neo xenopericardial patches
were used as a control. The tensile strength and
F
max
of KemPeriplas-Neo patches were 4- and 16.7-times
higher than those made of human internal mammary artery, respectively.
Both RGD-modified and unmodified PHBV/PCL patches demonstrated properties
similar to a human internal mammary artery patch. Regardless of RGD
modification, experimental PHBV/PCL patches displayed fewer lysed
red blood cells and resulted in milder platelet aggregation than KemPeriplas-Neo
patches. Xenopericardial patches failed to form an endothelial layer
in vivo and were prone to calcification. By contrast, TTDDA/RGDK-modified
biodegradable patches demonstrated a resistance to calcification.
Modification by TTDDA/RGDK and TTDDA/c[RGDFK] facilitated the formation
of neovasculature upon the implantation in vivo.