EGCG Regulates Cell Apoptosis of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Grown on 316L Stainless Steel for Stent Implantation

Jinpeng Wang,1 Yue Wang,2 Yuyi Zhao,2 Jinbin Zhao,2 Beilin Zhang,3 Kun Xu2,4 1Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of China; 4Jilin Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kun XuDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xukun@jlu.edu.cnBackground: Nowadays, medical grade 316L stainless steel (316L SS) is being widely used for intravascular stents, and the drug-eluting stent (DES) system is able to significantly reduce the occurrences of in-stent restenosis. But the drugs and the polymer coating used in DES potentially induce the forming of late stent thrombosis. In order to reduce the occurrence of ISR after stent implantation, the development of novel drugs for DESs is urgently needed.Methods: This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) grown on 316L stainless steel (316L SS) using flow cytometry and Q-PCR methods.Results: Our results showed that EGCG (12.5, 25, 50, 100 μmol/L) significantly inhibited HUVEC proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that EGCG (25, 50, 100 μmol/L) induced apoptosis. Moreover, qRT-PCRrevealed that genes associated with cell apoptosis (caspase-3, 8, 9, Fas) and autophagy (Atg 5, Atg 7, Atg 12) were up-regulated after EGCG treatment.Conclusion: These findings indicate that EGCG possesses chemo preventive potential in stent coating which may serve as a novel new drug for stent impl