The Role of Poly-glycerol Sebacate/Gelatin Coating Layer on Biological Features and Calcification Rate of 3D Melt-Molded Antibacterial Scaffold for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Heart valve disorders (HVD) caused by medical complications like calcification, thrombosis and infective endocarditis are a reason for cardiac dysfunctionality. The main aim of the present study was to develop a 3D polymeric antibacterial heart valve to prevent endocarditis and infection at the surgical site, through heart valve tissue engineering (HVTE), as a novel approach for the treatment of HVD. In this regard, using a 3D printed designed mold, a scaffold of poly glycerol sebacate: polycaprolactone: gelatin (50:40:10) containing ciprofloxacin, a broad-spectrum antibacterial drug, was made using melt molding method (D1 scaffold). Then, a layer of PGS-gelatin was coated on the optimized scaffold using a dip coating and EDC-NHS cross-linking agent (D2 scaffold). Based on the results, the D1 presented a 21.17 ± 0.8° contact angle while in D2 it was 37.49 ± 1.3°. The calcification rate also showed a lower amount of calcium and phosphorus deposition on the cross-linked surface of D2 (6.12 ± 0.35 µg mg−1) compared with D1 (14.2 ± 1.27 µg mg−1). D2 also demonstrated a remarkable antibacterial activity which was effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The in vitro release profile showed that D2 can release ciprofloxacin gradually and continuously for over 140 h. The D2 showed a non-thrombogenic interface based on blood compatibility testing. Cell study results assessed by the Alamar Blue, Calcein-AM, and Hoechst stain assay, revealed that the human cardiac fibroblasts grew well on D2 compared to D1. The results of the present study support the main idea of ​​creating an antibacterial and biocompatible 3D biomimetic heart valve for HVTE. Graphical Abstract: Figure not available: see fulltext. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.