NEW BIOACTIVATION MODE FOR VASCULAR PROSTHESES MADE OF DACRON(R) POLYESTER

The performance of vascular prostheses, especially those of small calibre, still presents several problems. The use of polyesters such as the well-known poly(ethylene terephthalate) (Dacron(R)) and, more recently, poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and polyurethanes provides a marked improvement. We have developed a process to increase the efficiency of such prostheses, using the ability of the Dacron(R) polyester to be covalently modified by proteins under mild chemical conditions. The biomaterial is obtained from the particular interaction of elastin-solubilized peptides with type I + III collagens under very precise conditions. We have obtained an irreversible covalent bonding on Dacron(R). These biological conditions and the addition of connective proteins and glycosaminoglycans conferred on the resulting material a composition and a three-dimensional structure equivalent to the subendothelium, providing bioactive properties suitable for the development of a vascular prosthesis.