Hydrogel grafted surfaces: protein interaction and platelet adhesion

The blood compatibility of an artificial polymeric implant largely depends on the physicochemical nature of the polymer substrate. In the present study our aim is to develop an understanding of polymer surfaces having similar surface free energy, but different chemical characteristics. We attempted to graft hydrogels onto a silastic polyurethane (Angioflex) material and optimised the surface free energy to about 35.0 ergs/cm2. We compared the protein adsorption and platelet and lymphocyte adhesion on these surfaces. It is observed that there is a relative change in behavior because of the difference in chemical nature.