Hemocompatibility Analysis of Novel Bioinspired Coating

Surface-induced thrombosis is a critical concern in medical device development. To minimize thrombosis, current extracorporeal circulation units require systemic anticoagulation. However, systemic anticoagulants can cause adverse effects such as thrombocytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperkalemia. To address this issue, we combine the technology of polydopamine (PDA) functionalization with slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) to potentially enhance the biocompatibility of medical devices. PDA readily coats a wide variety of surfaces and can be functionalized with a thiolated fluoropolymer, via Michael Addition, to form a pseudo self-assembled monolayer which serves as the porous surface component of SLIPS. Liquid perfluorodecalin can then be added to complete the SLIPS coating. We hypothesized that the PDA-SLIPS coating provides enhanced hemocompatibility due to its omniphobic properties and composition. Surface modifications were confirmed using contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy which revealed significant changes to the surface chemistry after the addition of each subsequent layer. The coating was evaluated for thrombogenicity via quantification of Factor XII (FXII) activation under static and dynamic settings, fibrin formation, platelet adhesion, and clot morphology. The PDA-SLIPS coating activated 50% less FXII than glass and 100% more FXII than BSA coated substrates. PDA-SLIPS had similar plasma clotting time to BSA and plasma clotted two times slower on PDA-SLIPS than on glass. Platelet adhesion was increased two-fold on SLIPS compared to BSA and decreased two-fold on SLIPS compared to glass. PDA-SLIPS had approximately 20% higher fiber diameter and 25% lower clot density than glass and was significantly different in fiber diameter and density than BSA.