Core-shell fibrous vascular grafts with the nitric oxide releasing property

Small-diameter vascular grafts with the nitric oxide(NO) releasing property were designed and prepared.Diazeniumdiolated N,N'-dibutyl-1,6-hexanediamine(DBHD/N2O2) was first synthesized as the NO donor and doped into the biocompatible polymer poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL).The fibrous vascular grafts were fabricated by electrospinning.Despite the reduced platelet adhesion observed on the NO releasing grafts,the cytotoxicity and burst release were apparent,especially at a higher loading level of the NO donor.In order to solve this problem,core-shell structured nanofibers,in which PCL or gelatin is the shell and PCL doped with the NO donor is the core,were fabricated via coaxial electrospinning.The core-shell structure made the NO release more steady and controllable,and the cell compatibility was improved.