Skip to main content
. 2021 Dec 6;12:7079. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27368-4

Fig. 1. Development of a tough nitric oxide-eluting (NOE) hydrogel coating for vascular stent.

Fig. 1

a Schematic for the design of our NOE hydrogel. b Shear moduli (at 37 °C) of the hybrid hydrogels formulated with maleimidyl alginate (A–M) of varying degrees of modification (DM) and gelatin (G) at different mass ratios. c Comparison in shear modulus among the selected hydrogels at 25 °C and 37 °C (mean ± SD, n = 6 independent samples). d Tensile testing of them at ambient temperature. The insets exhibit the photographs of A–M(9.3)/G_4/6 hydrogel prior to and during extension. e Radar charts showing their scores in shear modulus (at 37 °C) (A), fracture strength (B), fracture strain (C), toughness (D), and capacity for further modification (E). Dashed frameworks represent the average values. f Photographs of a vascular stent coated with A–M(9.3)/G_4/6 hydrogel before and after balloon dilation in PBS at 37 °C. g Fluorescence images of it before and after balloon dilation. The hydrogel coating was labeled with fluorescein isocyanate.