Effect of a novel peptide, WKYMVm- and sirolimus-coated stent on re-endothelialization and anti-restenosis.

The drug-eluting stent still has limitations such as thrombosis and inflammation. These limitations often occur in the absence of endothelialization. This study investigated the effects of WKYMVm- and sirolimus-coated stents on re-endothelialization and anti-restenosis. The WKYMVm peptide, specially synthesized for homing endothelial colony-forming cells, was coated onto a bare-metal stent with hyaluronic acid through a simple dip-coating method (designated HA-Pep). Thereafter, sirolimus was consecutively coated to onto the HA-Pep (designated Pep/SRL). The cellular response to stents by human umbilical-vein endothelial cells and vascular smooth-muscle cells was examined by XTT assay. Stents were implanted into rabbit iliac arteries, isolated 6 weeks post-implantation, and then subjected to histological analysis. The peptide was well attached to the surface of the stents and the sirolimus coating made the surface smooth. The release pattern for sirolimus was similar to that of commercial sirolimus-coated stents (57.2% within 7 days, with further release for up to 28 days). Endothelial-cell proliferation was enhanced in the HA-Pep group after 7 days of culture (38.2 ± 7.62%, compared with controls). On the other hand, the proliferation of smooth-muscle cells was inhibited in the Pep/SRL group after 7 days of culture (40.7 ± 6.71%, compared with controls). In an animal study, the restenosis rates for the Pep/SRL group (13.5 ± 4.50%) and commercial drug-eluting stents (Xience Prime™; 9.2 ± 7.20%) were lower than those for bare-metal stents (25.2 ± 4.52%) and HA-Pep stents (26.9 ± 3.88%). CD31 staining was incomplete for the bare-metal and Xience Prime™ groups. On the other hand, CD31 staining showed a consecutive linear pattern in the HA-Pep and Pep/SRL groups, suggesting that WKYMVm promotes endothelialization. These results indicate that the WKYMVm coating could promote endothelial healing, and consecutive coatings of WKYMVm and sirolimus onto bare-metal stents have a potential role in re-endothelialization and neointimal suppression.