Platelet adhesion to novel phospholipid materials: modified phosphatidylcholine covalently immobilized to silica,...

Based on the premise of achieving blood compatibility through mimicking the chemical constitutents of the biologically insert surface of the unactivated platelet membrane, a process was developed that entails the covalent grafting of modified phosphatidylcholine molecules to materials including silica, polypropylene, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer films. These materials were characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contactangle measurements. The phosphatidylcholine-containing materials (PC materials) were used as substrates in the plateletadhesion assays and were subjected to enzymatic degradation evaluation. Phosphatidylcholine-grafted silica materials do not support platelet adhesion. In addition the number of adherent platelets correlate with the amount of grafted phospholipid present, as indicated by the phosphorus/ carbon ratio obtained by XPS analysis. Platelet adhesion to phosphatidylcholine-grafted polypropylene and PTFE was inhibited 80% and 90%, respectively, when compared with platelet adhesion to unmodified polypropylene and PTFE.