Assessing the anti-oxidant capacity and therapeutic potential of a novel coronary artery stent coating

Restenosis is a major complication after coronary stent placement and is attributed to loss of the endothelium during surgery, and failure for the vessel to heal post-operatively. Elevated oxidative stress in the vessel after stent placement may contribute to the pathogenesis of restenosis, by inhibiting endothelial repair and promoting smooth muscle cell proliferation [1].
Current drug eluting stents (DES) aimed at improving stenting outcomes by preventing smooth muscle cell proliferation are limited by their inability to promote healing and reduce oxidative stress following stent placement. In fact, DES have been shown to generate increased oxidative stress after placement compared with older bare metal devices [2].
Here, we consider the antioxidant capacity of a novel drug-free stent coating using chemical assays to assess both broad and specific superoxide and nitric oxide scavenging capacity.
In parallel, IL-1β has been used to stimulate inflammatory stress in vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. IL-1β is known to contribute to vascular remodelling through interactions with the NF-кB pathway [3] and could provide a cell-based for assessing the therapeutic potential of our novel coating in vitro.