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The use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) as a polymer-free platform to deliver an antiproliferative drug, paclitaxel (PAT), from a stent material cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloy has been previously demonstrated. In this study, the interaction of human aortic endothelial cells (ECs) and human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with CoCr alloy surfaces coated with SAMs- (SAMs-CoCr) and PAT-deposited SAMs (PAT-SAMs-CoCr) was investigated. A polished CoCr with no coatings was used as a control. The viability, proliferation, morphology, and phenotype of ECs and SMCs were investigated on these samples. SAMs-CoCr significantly enhanced the growth of ECs. Also, the ECs were well spreading with its typical morphological features and showed stronger PECAM-1 expression on SAMs-CoCr. This showed that the SAMs-CoCr surface is conducive to endothelialization. For PAT-SAMs-CoCr, although the adhesion of ECs was lower, the cells continued to proliferate with some degree of spreading and limited PECAM-1 expression. For SMCs, a significant decrease in the cell proliferation was observed on SAMs-CoCr when compared with that of Control-CoCr. PAT-SAMs-CoCr showed maximum inhibitory effect on the proliferation of SMCs. Also, the SMCs on PAT-SAMs-CoCr displayed a poorly spread discoid morphology with disarranged α-actin filaments. This showed that the PAT released from the SAMs platform successfully inhibited the growth of SMCs. Thus, this study showed the interaction of ECs and SMCs with SAMs-CoCr and PAT-SAMs-CoCr for potential uses in stents and other cardiovascular medical devices.

Cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys have extensive biomedical applications including drug-eluting stents (DES). This study investigates the use of eight different microrough Co-Cr alloy surfaces for delivering paclitaxel (PAT) for potential use in DES. The eight different surfaces include four bare microrough and four self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coated microrough surfaces. The bare microrough surfaces were prepared by grit blasting Co-Cr with glass beads (50 and 100 μm in size) and Al(2)O(3) (50 and 110 μm). The SAM coated surfaces were prepared by depositing a -COOH terminated phosphonic acid monolayer on the different microrough surfaces. PAT was then deposited on all the bare and SAM coated microrough surfaces. The surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 3D optical profilometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM showed the different morphologies of microrough surfaces without and with PAT coating. An optical profiler showed the 3D topography of the different surfaces and the changes in surface roughness and surface area after SAM and PAT deposition. FTIR showed ordered SAMs were formed on glass bead grit blasted surfaces, while the molecules were disordered on Al(2)O(3) grit blasted surfaces. Also, FTIR showed the successful deposition of PAT on these surfaces. The PAT release was investigated for up to two weeks using high performance liquid chromatography. Al(2)O(3) grit blasted bare microrough surfaces showed sustained release profiles, while the glass bead grit blasted surfaces showed burst release profiles. All SAM coated surfaces showed biphasic drug release profiles, which is an initial burst release followed by a slow and sustained release. SAM coated Al(2)O(3) grit blasted surfaces prolonged the sustained release of PAT in a significant amount during the second week of drug elution studies, while this behavior was not observed for any other surfaces used in this study. Thus, this study demonstrates the use of different microrough Co-Cr alloy surfaces for delivering PAT for potential applications in DES and other medical devices.