Evaluation of Anticoagulant Activity of Heparin Loaded in PCL Fibers Using Thromboelastography

Electrospinning technique constitutes a simple and effective method to produce nanomaterials. This method also offers the possibility of incorporating several drugs and/or biological agents in specific biomedical applications. Functionalization of fibers can be made either before or after the electrospinning process. However, it is important to verify that the biological properties of incorporated agents remain unaffected even after the fabrication process. Preliminary studies showed that heparin can be successfully incorporated in poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) fibrous materials using two different methods: matrix encapsulation and through chemical crosslinking. The objective of this research is to evaluate the anticoagulant activity of heparin loaded in heparin functionalized materials. For this purpose, the heparin’s anticoagulant activity was assessed using thromboelastography (TEG), which measures the kinetics and strength of a clot as it is formed. The experiments were performed using swine blood alone and in the presence of PCL fibrous materials. Results indicate that the heparin released to the medium from the heparin-loaded materials preserved its anticoagulant activity.