• 文献标题:   Graphene-based materials: the key for the successful application of pHEMA as a blood-contacting device
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   PEREIRA AT, HENRIQUES PC, SCHNEIDER KH, PIRES AL, PEREIRA AM, MARTINS MCL, MAGALHAES FD, BERGMEISTER H, GONCALVES IC
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
  • ISSN:   2047-4830 EI 2047-4849
  • 通讯作者地址:  
  • 被引频次:   9
  • DOI:   10.1039/d0bm01699c EA FEB 2021
  • 出版年:   2021

▎ 摘  要

Thrombosis and infection are the leading causes of blood-contacting device (BCD) failure, mainly due to the poor performance of existing biomaterials. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) has excellent hemocompatibility but the weak mechanical properties impair its use as a bulk material for BCD. As such, pHEMA has been explored as a coating, despite the instability and difficulty of attachment to the underlying polymer compromise its success. This work describes the hydrogel composites made of pHEMA and graphene-based materials (GBM) that meet the biological and mechanical requirements for a stand-alone BCD. Five GBM differing in thickness, oxidation degree, and lateral size were incorporated in pHEMA, revealing that only oxidized-GBM can reinforce pHEMA. pHEMA/oxidized-GBM composites are cytocompatible and prevent the adhesion of endothelial cells, blood platelets, and bacteria (S. aureus), thus maintaining pHEMA's anti-adhesive properties. As a proof of concept, the thrombogenicity of the tubular prototypes of the best formulation (pHEMA/Graphene oxide (GO)) was evaluated in vivo, using a porcine arteriovenous-shunt model. pHEMA/GO conduits withstand the blood pressure and exhibit negligible adhesion of blood components, revealing better hemocompatibility than ePTFE, a commercial material for vascular access. Our findings reveal pHEMA/GO, a synthetic and off-the-shelf hydrogel, as a preeminent material for the design of blood-contacting devices that prevent thrombosis and bacterial adhesion.