Hemocompatibility of soft hydrophobic poly(n-butyl acrylate) networks with elastic moduli adapted to the elasticity of human arteries

Small calibre vascular prostheses (<6 mm) still lack medium and long term patency. Inelasticity of the prosthesis is one of the characteristics, which is involved in the mechanisms of failure (e. g. the development of neointimal hyperplasia at the distal anastomosis). Here we report about covalently crosslinked poly(n-butyl acrylate) networks (cPnBA) with adjustable elastic moduli, which can be tailored to values of human arteries (between 100 and 1000 kPa). Motivated by the potential application of such polymer networks as cardiovascular prosthesis, adhesion, activation and thrombus formation of human platelets on cPnBA networks were evaluated. All cPnBA-samples displayed a high thrombogenicity compared to the control (silicone). Significantly less platelets adhered on the surface of the soft cPnBA04 than on cPnBA73. All cPnBA samples displayed a higher number of platelet aggregates and a lower number of inactivated platelets in comparison to the control. While the elastic modulus of cPnBA networks could be successfully adjusted to that of human arteries, the tested polymers did not show an optimal hemocompatibility. Future studies aim at improving the biofunctionality by surface modification of these polymer networks.