Enabling topical and long-term anti-radical properties for percutaneous coronary intervention-related complications by incorporating TEMPOL into electrospun nanofibers

Scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) by antioxidants has been demonstrated as the most effective strategy for preventing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-related complications. However, topical and long-term delivery of ROS antioxidants to a specific vascular tissue is proven to be a great challenge. Herein, an ROS scavenger of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPOL) is incorporated into electrospun nanofibers with a tunable loading amount to achieve its topical applicability and long-term antiradical capability. Biological functions of such TEMPOL-loaded electrospun membranes are evaluated by cell proliferation, ROS-scavenging capability, monocyte adhesion, cell migration, inflammatory molecule secretion and mRNA expression in vitro. After optimizing the loading amount of TEMPOL, such an electrospun membrane presents a superior ROS-scavenging and anti-inflammation performance for both endothelial cells and macrophages. The expression of endothelial prothrombogenic molecules and the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are also effectively inhibited. Thus, it is bravely predicted that the topical use of such a TEMPOL-loaded electrospun system will be a promising pathway for the anti-restenosis therapy, especially when used as a novel coating on stent for long-term and topical delivery of antioxidant drugs.