Improving the antithrombogenicity of nylon monofilament for surgical suture by coating a protease from Euphorbia resinifera latex

Abstract

This study developed a method to improve the antithrombogenicity of a blue nylon monofilament suture (USP 3/0) by coating a plant serine protease purified from Euphorbia resinifera latex (EuRP-61) onto the surface of nylon using a combination of dipping and ultrasonication methods. EuRP-61 was a selected protease because the enzyme had been previously reported to have antithrombotic and anticoagulant activities, high stability and biological safety. Analyses of the fibrinogenolytic and fibrinolytic activities using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and microwell plate assays revealed that the proper concentration of protease was 1 mg/ml for each coating of 20 strips of 10-mm nylon. The enzyme-coated nylon was disinfected by ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization. After EO sterilization, the enzyme-coated nylon presented fibrinogenolytic and fibrinolytic activities. Comparing the enzyme-coated and bare nylon, the enzyme-coated nylon prevented the human fibrin clot from adhering to its surface. In contrast, the fibrin clot stuck and was unable to be removed from the surface of the bare nylon. The antithrombogenicity of the protease-coated nylon evaluated in this study suggests its potential application as a surgical suture, especially for vessel anastomosis.