Construction of NO-releasing coating on PET via layer-by-layer self-assembly

A coating was constructed via LBL self-assembly to improve hemocompatibility. • The coating had an adjusted KSNO payload capacity, achieving a tunable NO release. • The coated film promoted the ECs, while suppressing the over-proliferation of SMCs. • The coated film showed antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. • Biomacromolecular donor of NO was used as a monolayer for LBL for the first time. Nitric oxide (NO) releasing coating is promising for implantable medical devices due to the role of NO in the vascular system. In the study, a multilayered NO-releasing coating was constructed via layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly to improve the hemocompatibility of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET). A keratin-based NO donor (KSNO) was synthesized and used as a negatively-charged monolayer. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) acted as a positively-charged monolayer. The LBL coating has an adjusted KSNO payload capacity, achieving a tunable NO release in the presence of ascorbic acid (Asc). The coated PET film (n = 5) selectively promoted the proliferation of endothelial cells, while suppressing the excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, the coated film demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, along with antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that a biomacromolecular donor of NO has been used as a monolayer for LBL self-assembly.