Small-Diameter Synthetic Vascular Graft Immobilized with the REDV Peptide Reduces Early-Stage Fibrin Clot Deposition and Results in Graft Patency in Rats.

Early-stage hemocompatibility is indispensable for manufacturing tissue-engineered vascular grafts used in regenerative medicine. In this study, we report the blood response and patency of small-diameter synthetic vascular grafts modified with the Arg-Glu-Asp-Val (REDV) peptide. Vascular grafts were prepared by casting REDV-conjugated poly(depsipeptide--caprolactone) on a stainless-steel mandril (diameter: 1.8 mm). After implanting the grafts into the abdominal aorta of rats for 24 h, all three control grafts without the peptide and three out of the four REDV (control sequence) peptide-modified grafts showed occlusion. The luminal surfaces of these grafts were covered with thick thrombi. In contrast, all the grafts containing the REDV peptide were patent, and their luminal surfaces were covered with a thin layer of fibrin. These results indicated that the REDV peptide on the luminal surface effectively reduced early-stage fibrin clot deposition and formed the pseudo-endothelium layer in a peptide sequence-specific manner, resulting in graft patency.