Plasma treatment of expanded PTFE offers a way to a biofunctionalization of its surface

Biointegration is the ideal outcome which is expected for an artificial imp lant. That means that the phenomena which seats at the interface between th e implant and the host tissues does not induce neither any deleterious effe ct, such as chronic inflammatory response, nor the formation of unusual tis sues. Thus it is of paramount importance to design biomaterials, used for t he fabrication of implants, with the best appropriate surface properties. A t the same time these biomaterials must feature bulk properties which meet other requirements, especially mechanical properties, deriving from the int ended function of the implant in which they are involved. As it is quite im possible to design biomaterials which fulfil at the same time both types of requirements, it is commonly agreed that the solution to this issue goes t hrough the selection or the design of biomaterials with adequate bulk prope rties, and a further treatment of the surface which would improve the prope rties of the latter. In this respect ionizing radiations and plasma based t reatments, offer a wide panel of possibilities; as an example we describe h ere how the surface of expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) samples can be ac tivated using cold plasma, in order to open a way to chemical modifications of such a surface. Subsequently, Radio Frequency Glow Discharge (RFGD) con taining oligopeptides, known for their role in mediating the adhesion of ce lls to the extracellular matrix, were bound to the modified surface, and th e affinity of endothelial cells for the latter was investigated. (C) 1999 E lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.