Establishing the Principles for Antithrombogenic Coatings Based on Sol-Gel Films

The implantation of medical devices such as stents and heart valves, which are in contact with blood, can lead to thrombosis. To prevent this undesirable blood clot formation, there is a need for antitrombogenic coatings. Here, we exploit sol-gel technology to generate a coating that prevents the first step of coagulation, the adhesion of proteins, and, by that, prevents clot formation on the surface. We studied the correlation between surface wettability to the antithrombogenic property of the surface. Our findings show that a combination of zwitterion precursor with tetraethyl orthosilicate yields a robust hydrophilic coating that significantly reduces platelet adhesion to the surface. This coating might be applied to artificial materials used for the formation of medical devices to prevent thrombosis.