6533b871fe1ef96bd12d2332

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Control of endothelial cell adhesion to polymer surface by ion implantation

subject

description

The bio-compatibility of ion implanted polymers has been studied by means of in vitro attachment measurements of bovine aorta endothelial cells. The specimens used were polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). He+ and Ne+ ion implantation were performed at an energy of 150 keV with fluences between 1 × 1013 to 1 × 1017ions/cm2 at room temperature. Wettability was estimated by means of a sessile drop method. The chemical and physical structures of ion implanted polymers were investigated by contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis in relation to cell attachment behavior. The strength of cell attachment on ion implanted specimens at static and under flow conditions was also measured. Ion implanted PP and ePTFE were found to exhibit remarkably higher adhesion and spreading of endothelial cells than non-implanted specimens. In contrast to these findings, ion implanted PS and PE only demonstrated a little improvement of cell adhesion in this assay. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.