Nanoengineered Dual-Functional Protein Coatings Conferring Antithrombotic and Antimicrobial Protection to Vascular Stents

Vascular grafts often fail early owing to thrombosis and infection, reflecting the urge for a biomimetic, anti-fouling blood-material interface with limited antibacterial activity. Here, we report a nanoengineered, dual-functional tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine-hemoglobin coating formed through a ligand-release-driven protein self-assembly mechanism that converts native hemoglobin into a β-sheet enriched architecture, establishing a controllable and broadly applicable route for synthesis. The PTH coating uniformly covers diverse graft substrates, with nanoscale thickness control from ~5 nm to > 600 nm achieved by tuning pH and protein concentration. The PTH coating exhibits strong interfacial binding, delivering an approximately twofold increase in adhesion strength compared to general coatings, and retains morphology and wettability in physiological and proteolytic environments. Under hydrodynamic loading approximating vascular shear, PTH maintains stable topography and contact angle, indicating robust resistance to erosion, while remaining optically transparent to preserve post-implant lumen assessment. Functionally, the β-enriched interface suppresses bacterial attachment and biofilm formation and markedly reduces platelet adhesion, aggregation, and activation, thereby attenuating initiation of coagulation cascades. Across in vitro assays and animal studies, it presents the combination of antithrombogenic, anti-infective, and pro-endothelialization performance. This work delivers an integrated antithrombotic and antimicrobial surface for small-calibre vascular grafts and high-risk portal vein reconstruction, offering a clinically translatable strategy for next-generation vascular implants.