Effect of Nitinol on Metabolic and Coagulation Activity of Endothelial Cells Culture.

We studied the effect of nitinol, the most prevalent material for endovascular stents, on metabolic and coagulation activity of a primary culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Metabolic activity was evaluated using MTS-test and by the level of stable NO metabolites in the conditioned medium, coagulation activity was assessed by activity of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and soluble endothelial protein C receptors (sEPCR). Exposure to nitinol reduced metabolic activity of the cell culture by 11.1% in comparison with the control (p<0.001). Although absolute activity of vWF and absolute level of sEPCR were elevated, incubation with nitinol did not lead to a statistically significant elevation of these parameters in comparison with the control, which can indicate the absence of substantial hypercoagulation effects of nitinol.