Controlled drug release through a plasma polymerized tetramethylcyclo-tetrasiloxane coating barrier.

A plasma polymerized tetramethylcyclo-tetrasiloxane (TMCTS) coating was deposited onto a metallic biomaterial, 316 stainless steel, to control the release rate of drugs, including daunomycin, rapamycin and NPC-15199 (N-(9-fluorenylmethoxy-carbonyl)-leucine), from the substrate surface. The plasma-state polymerized TMCTS thin film was deposited in a vacuum plasma reactor operated at a radio-frequency of 13.56 MHz, and was highly adhesive to the stainless steel, providing a smooth and hard coating layer for drugs coated on the substrate.

Improvement of surface lubricity of polymers and metals by a glow-discharge plasma cross-linking process.

A plasma cross-linking process was employed to improve the surface lubricity of different types of biomaterials, including stainless steel (SS), nitinol, polyethylene and nylon. To investigate the influence of monomers containing double bonds on top-layer cross-linking of poly(ethylene oxide) compound (PEOC), five different monomers, N-trimethylsilyl-allylamine (TMSAA), ethylene, propylene, allyl alcohol and ethane, were used in the study to produce a cross-linked coating layer on sample surfaces. Before the plasma cross-linking, samples underwent plasma treatment followed by wet chemical coating.

Cell attachment and biocompatibility of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) treated with glow-discharge plasma of mixed ammonia and oxygen.

The plasma generated from a gas mixture of NH3 plus O2 (NH3 + O2) has been used to impart unique chemical and biological characteristics to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE treated with NH3 + O2 plasma was physiochemically distinct from surfaces treated with plasma of either NH3 or O2 alone, as determined by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The contact angle analysis revealed that the PTFE surfaces became less hydrophobic after plasma treatments.

NH3/O2 mixed gas plasmas alter the interaction of blood components with stainless steel.

Stainless steel treated with a mixed gas plasma of NH(3) plus O(2) had chemical and biologic characteristics distinct from untreated stainless steel or stainless steel treated with NH(3) or O(2) plasmas used separately. NH(3)/O(2) plasmas deposited nitrogen as both -CN (organic) and -NO (nitrate, nitrite)--materials not found on untreated stainless steel--and the contact angle changed from 44 degrees to 23 degrees. Treatment of stainless steel (and titanium) resulted in surfaces with enhanced resistance to platelet and leukocyte attachment.

Local delivery of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) using adsorbed silyl-heparin, benzyl-bis(dimethylsilylmethyl)oxycarbamoyl-heparin.

A growth factor delivery system was developed that is based on the use of silyl-heparin, a chemically modified analogue of heparin. The silyl-heparin was adsorbed onto surfaces by hydrophobic interaction via the prosthetic unit and can then be used as a solid-phase adsorbent for bFGF. All the coating steps were performed by adsorption, a process that allowed preparation of surfaces by immersion or "dip-coating".