In Vitro Vascular Cell Adhesion and Proliferation on Alkaline Degraded Poly-lactic/glycolic Acid Polymers

The objective of the present in vitro study was to determine vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell responses to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) films that were exposed apriori to various degrees of alkaline degradation. To model the alkaline environment of blood in arteries, PLGA films were separately soaked in select concentrations (from 0.1 – 10 N) of NaOH for various periods of time (from 10 minutes to 1 hour). Vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells were then separately allowed to adhere and/or proliferate on the different PLGA degraded surfaces. Results provided the first evidence that smooth muscle adhesion and proliferation increased with larger amounts of alkaline PLGA degradation. In contrast, endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation decreased with increasing amounts of alkaline PLGA degradation. In this manner, the present in vitro study suggests a possible mechanism for insufficient endothelialization on PLGA vascular implants in vivo.