Validation Of Protein Markers For Biocompatibility Of EPC-Coated Titanium Stents (2012)

Undergraduates: Siyao Liu, none none none

Faculty Advisor: Oscar Alzate
Department: Biology

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Cardiovascular disease is currently the number one cause of death in the U.S.; the high continued incidence of major risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus and age, emphasizes the need to develop new technologies that can be used to alleviate the symptoms of cardiovascular disease. To this end, we investigated three (3) proteins known to be associated with coagulation and inflammation, as biomarkers of the effects of autologous EPC lining on the biocompatibility and antithrombogenicity of blood-contacting titanium implants. Selected pigs were divided three groups: sham control (n=10), pigs receiving a bare Ti implant (n=10), and pigs receiving an autologous EPC-coated Ti implant (n=10). Peripheral blood was drawn from the pigs’ ear immediately before and after the surgery, and 7 and 30 days post-surgery. Despite differences seen in the physical condition of implants upon explant, analysis of serum levels of C-reactive protein, Factor VIII, and Factor X by Western blot showed no significant differences between experimental groups. The preliminary data indicate that the serum levels of these proteins do not fall into the range to be suitable markers of the biocompatibility of EPC-lined Ti implants. These results agree with Quantitative Intact Proteomics results.