Effect of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylcholine on the protein C/protein S anticoagulation system

Bacterial-Nanocellulose-Based Biointerfaces and Biomimetic Constructs for Blood-Contacting Medical Applications

Understanding the interaction between biomaterials and blood is critical in the design of novel biomaterials for use in biomedical applications. Depending on the application, biomaterials can be designed to promote hemostasis, slow or stop bleeding in an internal or external wound, or prevent thrombosis for use in permanent or temporary medical implants. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a natural, biocompatible biopolymer that has recently gained interest for its potential use in blood-contacting biomedical applications (e.g., artificial vascular grafts), due to its high porosity, shapeability, and tissue-like properties. To promote hemostasis, BNC has been modified through oxidation or functionalization with various peptides, proteins, polysaccharides, and minerals that interact with the coagulation cascade. For use as an artificial vascular graft or to promote vascularization, BNC has been extensively researched, with studies investigating different modification techniques to enhance endothelialization such as functionalizing with adhesion peptides or extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins as well as tuning the structural properties of BNC such as surface roughness, pore size, and fiber size. While BNC inherently exhibits comparable mechanical characteristics to endogenous blood vessels, these mechanical properties can be enhanced through chemical functionalization or through altering the fabrication method. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the various modification techniques that have been implemented to enhance the suitability of BNC for blood-contacting biomedical applications and different testing techniques that can be applied to evaluate their performance. Initially, we focused on the modification techniques that have been applied to BNC for hemostatic applications. Subsequently, we outline the different methods used for the production of BNC-based artificial vascular grafts and to generate vasculature in tissue engineered constructs. This sequential organization enables a clear and concise discussion of the various modifications of BNC for different blood-contacting biomedical applications and highlights the diverse and versatile nature of BNC as a natural biomaterial.

New quantitative total protein S-assay system for diagnosing protein S type II deficiency: clinical application of the screening system for protein S type II deficiency

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence is rising rapidly in Japan with lifestyle westernization and aging. Deficiency of protein S, an important blood coagulation regulator, is a risk factor for VTE. Protein S deficiency prevalence in Asians is approximately 10 times that in Caucasians and that of protein S type II deficiency, associated with the protein S Tokushima mutation (K155E), is quite high in Japan. However, currently available methods for measuring protein S are not precise enough for detection of this deficiency. We developed a novel assay system for precise simultaneous determinations of total protein S activity and total protein S antigen level, using a general-purpose automated analyzer, allowing protein S-specific activity (ratio of total protein S activity to total protein S antigen level) to be calculated. Mean specific activity was 0.99 for samples from healthy individuals but 0.69 or less (mean-3SD) in protein S type II-deficient and warfarin-treated samples, but was 1.0 in an estrogen-treated sample with significantly decreased protein S antigen. Protein S gene analyses in healthy individuals with specific activity 0.69 or less revealed the K155E mutation in all three. These results show our new assay system to be an effective screening tool for protein S type II deficiency. This system can also be used in an automated analyzer, facilitating numerous sample measurements, and is, thus, applicable to regular medical checkups and diagnosing VTE. Such applications would potentially contribute to early detection of protein S type II deficiency, and, thereby, to thrombosis prevention.