Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can replace the lungs�\r\ngas exchange capacity in refractory lung failure. However, its limited\r\nhemocompatibility, the activation of the coagulation and complement system as\r\nwell as plasma leakage and protein deposition hamper mid- to long-term use and\r\nhave constrained the development of an implantable lung assist device. In a tissue\r\nengineering approach, lining the blood contact surfaces of the ECMO device with\r\nendothelial cells might overcome these limitations. As a first step towards this aim,\r\nwe hypothesized that coating the oxygenator�s gas exchange membrane with\r\nproteins might positively influence the attachment and proliferation of arterial\r\nendothelial cells.\r\nMethods: Sheets of polypropylene (PP), polyoxymethylpentene (TPX) and\r\npolydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), typical material used for oxygenator gas exchange\r\nmembranes, were coated with collagen, fibrinogen, gelatin or fibronectin. Tissue\r\nculture treated well plates served as controls. Endothelial cell attachment and\r\nproliferation were analyzed for a period of 4 days by microscopic examination and\r\ncomputer assisted cell counting.\r\nResults: Endothelial cell seeding efficiency is within range of tissue culture treated\r\ncontrols for fibronectin treated surfaces only. Uncoated membranes as well as all\r\nother coatings lead to lower cell attachment. A confluent endothelial cell layer\r\ndevelops on fibronectin coated PDMS and the control surface only.\r\nConclusions: Fibronectin increases endothelial cells� seeding efficiency on different\r\noxygenator membrane material. PDMS coated with fibronectin shows sustained cell\r\nattachment for a period of four days in static culture conditions.
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