Catalytic Formation of Nitric Oxide Mediated by Ti–Cu Coatings Provides Multifunctional Interfaces for Cardiovascular Applications

Abstract

An ideal surface of a cardiovascular device, such as a stent, must be multifunctional: promoting endothelialization to regenerate the vessel's natural endothelial cell (EC) lining; inhibiting the proliferation of smooth muscle cells that occlude vessels; and simultaneously mitigating thrombosis that leads to the spontaneous formation of blood clots. Here it is reported on Ti–Cu interfaces that demonstrate this required multifunctionality through the controlled release of copper ions that induce the catalytic formation of nitric oxide (NO). Ti–Cu coatings, deposited on stainless steel substrates via direct current magnetron sputtering, demonstrate a significantly higher NO‐release catalytic activity compared to Ti coatings due to release of copper ions. Ti–Cu surfaces that stimulate optimum catalytic formation of NO significantly decrease smooth muscle cell proliferation, inhibit platelet adhesion, and improve endothelial cell EC compatibility. The development of such catalytic surfaces through a simple sputtering method holds great promise for the fabrication of advanced multifunctional cardiovascular devices such as stents and coronary implants.

Plasma Polymerization of TEMPO Yields Coatings Containing Stable Nitroxide Radicals for Controlling Interactions with Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

“…Certain molecular radicals have shown to be critical messenger molecules in biological systems; the best-known is nitric oxide (NO), which has shown applications ranging from biofilm inhibition and dispersal, − vasodilatation, , inflammation control, and stem cell behavior modification to cancer treatment . NO, however, decays rapidly due to its reactive radical nature, and therefore, its message is short-lived.…”

Antibacterial Ti–Cu implants: A critical review on mechanisms of action

“…Numerous techniques, including ion implantation [ 83 ], oxidation [ 109 ], ion-beam assisted deposition [ 110 ], dip coating [ 111 ], plasma spraying [ 112 , 113 ], electroplating [ 114 ], magnetron sputtering [ 105 , [115] , [116] , [117] , [118] , [119] ], ion-assisted plasma polymerization [ [120] , [121] , [122] , [123] , [124] ] and plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) [ [125] , [126] , [127] , [128] , [129] ] have been established to fabricate implant coatings and bioactive interfaces. In particular, a large body of works has been devoted to create contact killing surfaces that contain bactericidal agents such as F [ 130 ], Cu [ 83 , 131 ], Ag [ 108 , 109 , 132 ] and Zn [ 133 ].…”

Shellac: A Bioactive Coating for Surface Engineering of Cardiovascular Devices

“…[ 4 ] It is a major challenge to create a safe blood‐contacting surface balancing cytocompatibility and antithrombogenic effects. [ 2,5–10 ] In addition, the bacterial infection of cardiovascular devices such as catheters and artificial blood vessels must be avoided, as it may also cause implant failures, while being life‐threatening in extreme cases. [ 11 ]…”

“…[4] It is a major challenge to create a safe bloodcontacting surface balancing cytocompatibility and antithrombogenic effects. [2,[5][6][7][8][9][10] In addition, the bacterial infection of cardiovascular devices such as catheters and artificial blood vessels must be avoided, as it may also cause implant failures, while being life-threatening in extreme cases. [11] Shellac (also known as lac) is a natural resin that can potentially be used as a bioactive material to modify the surfaces of blood-contacting devices.…”