Review: Research Progress and Future Prospects for Promoting Endothelialization on Endovascular Stents and Preventing Restenosis

Abstract

Restenosis at the site of implantation of a cardiovascular stent remains a significant problem in the interventional treatment of cardiovascular disease. Studies confirm that endothelial impairment is one of the most important factors leading to restenosis and treatment failure. Accelerating the re-endothelialization of vascular stents and rapidly restoring the integrity of the endothelium is currently the best strategy for preventing restenosis. There has been great progress in understanding endothelial development and repair, particularly the role of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in restoring the endothelial integrity at injured vascular sites. EPCs hold great promise for treating cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, modifying the adherence properties of EPCs and other types of seed cells on stents can accelerate cell proliferation and endothelialization. In this review, we summarize the progress in utilizing seed cells from various sources for in vitro endothelialization and native endothelialization, as well as their application in vascular grafts.