In vitro studies of platelet adhesion, activation, and protein adsorption on curcumin-eluting biodegradable stent materials

A major complication of coronary stenting is in-stent restenosis (ISR) due to thrombus formation. We hypothesized that locally released curcumin from coronary stent surface would inhibit ISR due to thrombus formation because of antithrombosis of curcumin. In the present work, curcumin-eluting polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) films were fabricated and their properties in vitro were investigated. The in vitro platelet adhesion and activation, as well as protein adsorption on curcumin-loading PLGA films were investigated to evaluate the blood compatibility of curcumin-eluting films. The structure of curcumin-eluting PLGA film and control was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicating that the peaks of curcumin did not shift in curcumin-eluting films. The results of contact angle and surface free energy indicated that loading curcumin in PLGA would make PLGA become more hydrophilic, which contributed to the increase of polar fraction of surface free energy. With the increase of curcumin in films, platelets adhering to the curcumin-eluting films decreased significantly. The number of activation platelets decreased after incorporating curcumin in PLGA films. Loading curcumin in PLGA film can markedly reduce the fibrinogen adsorption. All results indicated that incorporating curcumin in PLGA film can improve the blood compatibility of PLGA films. It can be used to fabricate drug-eluting stent to prevent thrombosis formation.