Abstract
Recently, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation has been increasingly used to modify polymers. Properties such as the extremely short absorption lengths in polymers and the very strong interaction of EUV photons with materials may play a key role in achieving new biomaterials. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of EUV radiation on cell adhesion to the surface of modified polymers that are widely used in medicine: poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and poly-L-(lactic acid) (PLLA). After EUV surface modification, which has been performed using a home-made laboratory system, changes in surface wettability, morphology, chemical composition and cell adhesion polymers were analyzed. For each of the three polymers, the EUV radiation differently effects the process of endothelial cell adhesion, dependent of the parameters applied in the modification process. In the case of PVDF and PTFE, higher cell number and cellular coverage were obtained after EUV radiation with oxygen. In the case of PLLA, better results were obtained for EUV modification with nitrogen. For all three polymers tested, significant improvements in endothelial cell adhesion after EUV modification have been demonstrated.
Highlights
Controlling and enhancing the biocompatibility of biomaterials remains a huge challenge in medicine and biomedical engineering
When analyzing the contact angle values (CA) obtained for Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), it can be seen that both extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and the presence of reactive gas are needed to obtain a hydrophilic surface
Comparing the wettability results for materials modified with reactive gas, two additional relationships can be observed: a lower wettability was obtained for a longer valve opening time (PVDF_50_N400 = 83.3o vs. PVDF_50_N200 = 98.3o, PVDF_50_O400 = 70.2o vs. PVDF_50_O200 = 87.9o); the lower CA value was obtained for modification process performed with oxygen as compared to nitrogen (PVDF_N200 = 98.3o vs. PVDF_O200 = 87.9o, PVDF_N400 = 83.o vs. PVDF_O400 = 70.2o)
Summary
Controlling and enhancing the biocompatibility of biomaterials remains a huge challenge in medicine and biomedical engineering. The most important area of the implant or medical device is its surface, the interface between the living organism and the lifeless synthetic product. Processes that happen in this area determine the success of the medical procedure and frequently the survivor of the patient. That is why a scientific effort is focused on searching for more effective techniques of surface modification. These techniques should change the properties of the surface without affecting the mechanical properties of the base material. Some conventional techniques, based on photochemical and photophysical processes induced by UV radiation may have undesired effects connected with the penetration of this radiation in polymers [1]
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