Elastin Stabilization Through Polyphenol and Ferric Chloride Combined Treatment for the Enhancement of Bioprosthetic Heart Valve Anticalcification

The lifetime of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) is limited by the mechanical damage and calcification. The major components of BHVs are collagen and elastin. Collagen could be well protected by glutaraldehyde (GLUT) crosslinking, while elastin is not stabilized and has a high risk of degradation, which could lead to the calcification of BHVs. We aimed to develop methods for stabilizing elastin and decreasing calcification. We investigated the combined tannic acid (TA) or epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) with ferric chloride to stabilize elastin and prevent calcification. We found that the amount of TA/EGCG bound to elastin was in a time‐dependent pattern and this reaction showed better efficiency in acidic condition and ethanol‐water mixed solvents. Moreover, Fe3+ could compete with Ca2+ to bind to polyphenol, which could reduce the calcium deposition on BHVs. Cytotoxicity test showed that all extracts from different treatments had similar cell viabilities (85–100%). Through the combined treatments of polyphenol and ferric chloride, the pericardium had a better resistance to elastase degradation and more excellent anticalcification performance.