Role of Catechol in the Stability of Biocoating Materials in Wet Environment

Biocompatible polysaccharide coating technology can be a promising solution to overcome unexpected diseases caused by inflammatory reactions of metallic biomaterials (e.g., stent restenosis, etc.). However, due to their inherent hydrophilicity, it is difficult to maintain the coating layer for a long time in the physiological wet-environment. Herein, catechol functionalized hyaluronic acid was synthesized and introduced to the polymeric stent (polylactic acid) as the adhesive biocoating material. Surprisingly, even with the low degree of substitution of catechol (1.26%), a significant improvement in the underwater stability was observed, confirmed by capillary experiments and spectroscopic analysis. Our results may provide an insight into the positive role of catechol molecular adhesive group in the in-vivo stability of biocoating materials.