Nanofibrous Heparin and Heparin-Mimicking Multilayers as Highly Effective Endothelialization and Antithrombogenic Coatings

Combining the advantages of the fibrous nanostructure of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the bioactivities of heparin/heparin-mimicking polyanions, functional nanofibrous heparin or heparin-mimicking multilayers were constructed on PVDF membrane with highly promoted endothelialization and antithrombogenic activities. Oxidized CNT (oCNT) was first functionalized with water-soluble chitosan (polycation), then enwrapped with heparin or a typical sulfonated heparin-mimicking polymers (poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate-co-sodium methacrylate)) to construct the multilayers. Then, the surface-deposited multilayers were constructed via electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly of the functionalized oCNTs. The scanning electron microscope and atom force microscope images confirmed that the coated multilayers exhibited nanofibrous and porous structure. The live/dead cell staining and cell viability assay results indicated that the coated nanofibrous multilayers had excellent compatibility with endothelial cells. The cell morphology observation further confirmed the promotion ability of surface endothelialization due to the coated heparin/heparin-mimicking multilayers. Further systematical evaluation on blood compatibility revealed that the surface heparin/heparin-mimicking multilayer-coated membranes also had significantly improved blood compatibility including restrained platelet adhesion and activation, prolonged blood clotting times, and inhibited activation of coagulation and complement factors. In summary, the proposed nanofibrous multilayers integrated endothelialization and antithrombogenic properties; meanwhile, the heparin-mimicking coating validated comparable performances as heparin coating. Herein, it is expected that the surface coating of nanofibrous multilayers, especially the facilely constructed heparin-mimicking coating, may have great application potential in biomedical fields.