Surface tailoring for selective endothelialization and platelet inhibition via a combination of SI-ATRP and Click-chemistry using Cys–Ala–Gly-peptide

Surface tailoring is an attractive approach to enhancing selective endothelialization, which is a prerequisite for current vascular prosthesis applications. Here, we modified polycarbonate urethane (PCU) surface with both poly(ethylene glycol) and Cys-Ala-Gly-peptide (CAG) for the purpose of creating a hydrophilic surface with targeting adhesion of endothelial cells (ECs). In the first step, PCU-film surface was grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) to covalently tether hydrophilic polymer brushes via surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP), followed by grafting of an active monomer pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFMA) by a second ATRP. The postpolymerization modification of the terminal reactive groups with allyl amine molecules created pendant allyl groups, which were subsequently functionalized with cysteine terminated CAG-peptide via photo-initiated thiol-ene click chemistry. The functionalized surfaces were characterized by water contact angle and XPS analysis. The growth and proliferation of human ECs or human umbilical arterial smooth muscle cells on the functionalized surfaces were investigated for 1, 3 and 7 day/s. The results indicated that these peptide functionalized surfaces exhibited enhanced EC adhesion, growth and proliferation. Furthermore, they suppressed platelet adhesion in contact with platelet-rich plasma for 2h. Therefore, these surfaces with EC targeting ligand could be an effective anti-thrombogenic platform for vascular tissue engineering application.