Preparation, characterization and in vitro anticoagulation of emodin-eluting controlled biodegradable stent coatings.

In this study, emodin-eluting poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) coating stents and emodin-loaded PLGA films were prepared to explore the potential application of emodin-eluting stent for treating cardiovascular disease. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) showed all characteristic adsorption peaks of emodin in emodin-loaded PLGA film in comparison to pure emodin. The balloon expansion experiment and surface morphology observation suggested that the integrated emodin-eluting coatings were successfully obtained on the stainless steel surfaces and the coatings had the ability to withstand the strains imparted during balloon experiment. The drug release profile revealed the nearly linear release curve without obvious burst release for different doses of emodin-eluting stents. As compared with stainless steel and PLGA, in vitro platelet adhesion and APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time) tests revealed better blood compatibility of emodin-eluting stent. In conclusion, the results of the present study showed that the emodin-eluting stent has a potential application for treating cardiovascular disease.