Activation of MAPK and NF-κB Induced by Biomaterials in Vascular Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Materials used to make artificial vessels and hearts can cause thrombosis, thus hindering the development of these therapeutic aids. Endothelial cells (ECs) play a key role in thrombosis, so in this study, we used human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and tested the hemocompatibility of different biomaterials. We then measured the signal proteins MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and Nuclear Factor- kB (NF-κB) to investigate the correlation between their expression and the degree of hemocompatibility. The results showed that ECs in the polyurethane (PU-60) group had significantly more NF-κB than the negative control (p<0.5). To identify whether the increased expression of NF-κB was induced by MAPK activation, we investigated changes in phosphorylated MAPK. We found both MAPK and NF-κB are ideal indicators for evaluating the hemocompatibility of biomaterial.