Endothelial Cells Adhesion on Modified Polyurethane Surface as the Way to Fabricate a Novel Material for Cardiosurgery

The present work was undertaken to elaborate a repeatable method of fabrication of a material that could be used in various blood circulatory support devices, e.g. artificial heart and its parts. The final material would comprise polyurethane coated with endothelial cells in vitro. Thus, the material would present suitable mechanical properties and interact with blood in the way natural tissue does. Artificial heart made of such a material would function as long as possible inside a patient's body.

Endothelium growth was enhanced by immobilization of collagen onto the polyurethane surface. Collagen is bounded by cell receptors, integrins, causing a cascade of internal signals that leads to cell adhesion. A three‐step chemical method for immobilizing collagen onto polyurethane surface was proposed. Obtained materials were analyzed and used as a scaffold in endothelial cell culture. Studies revealed that there was an expected change in cells morphology due to interaction with collagen.

To summarize, collagen was successfully introduced onto a polyurethane surface. Endothelial cells showed expected response for collagen. The procedure could be applied to different peptides or proteins. The whole process does not involve harsh conditions or complex equipments, therefore it is suitable to be utilized on a large scale.