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A Time-Sequenced Three-Drug-Loaded Microneedle Patch for the Prevention of Vein Graft Restenosis After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Preprint Created on 25 May 2026 bioRxiv

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the recommended treatment for severe coronary heart disease; however, restenosis of great saphenous vein grafts continues to limit long-term outcomes because of early thrombosis, mid-term intimal hyperplasia, and late atherosclerosis. To address these sequential pathological processes, this study develops a perivascular drug-loaded microneedle (MN) patch capable of controlled chronological release of tirofiban, rapamycin, and rosuvastatin. The MN patch exhibits uniform conical microneedles (height: 700-800 m), nanoparticle size of 125 nm, sufficient mechanical strength (1.07 N/needle) for venous intimal penetration, excellent biocompatibility, and no detectable cytotoxicity or hemolysis. In a mouse model of venous graft transplantation, the device significantly reduces early platelet thrombus formation (23.3% to 10%), alleviates mid-term intimal hyperplasia (intimal thickness: 0.84 mm to 0.45 mm at 4 weeks), and improves long-term graft patency with blood flow increasing from 13.1 to 65.8 mL/min at 32 weeks while reducing long-term mortality. Mechanistically, RNA sequencing and functional analyses demonstrate that excessive glycolysis-driven smooth muscle cell proliferation, coupled with abnormal endothelial cell apoptosis, constitutes the core mechanism underlying mid- to long-term restenosis, which the MN device effectively suppresses. This integrated MN patch provides a localised therapeutic strategy for preventing restenosis and improving long-term CABG outcomes.

Wang, B., Ding, X., Dai, L., Yu, Y.

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