Electrospun PELCL membranes loaded with QK peptide for enhancement of vascular endothelial cell growth

One of the major challenges in tissue engineering of small-diameter vascular grafts is to inhibit intimal hyperplasia and keep long-term patency after implantation. Rapid endothelialization of the grafts could be an effective approach. In this study, QK, a peptide mimicking vascular endothelial growth factor, was selected as the bioactive substrate and loaded in electrospun membranes for enhancement of vascular endothelial cell growth. In detail, QK peptide was firstly introduced with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate into a thiolated chitosan solution that could transfer into hydrogel. Then, suspensions or emulsions of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PELCL) containing QK peptide (with or without chitosan hydrogel) were electrospun into fibrous membranes. For comparison, the electrospun PELCL membrane without QK was also fabricated. Results of release behaviors showed that the electrospun membranes, especially that contained chitosan hydrogel prepared by suspension electrospinning, could successfully encapsulate QK peptide and maintain its secondary structure after released. In vitro cell culture studies exhibited that the release of QK peptide could accelerate the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells in the 9 days. It was suggested that the electrospun PELCL membranes loaded with QK peptide might have potential applications in vascular tissue engineering.