Laser surface texturing of SS316L for enhanced adhesion of HUVECs

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of the structured surface to the adhesion, proliferation, and alignment of endothelial cells (HUVECs). The chemical state of laser structured surface was also investigated in comparison with non-treated surface. A novel design for biomedical applications consisting of parallel chain-like structures was realised on stainless steel surface by laser micromachining. The structures were designed to employ surface topography in the presence of micron and sub-micron features and to avoid intensive surface modification that could compromise the mechanical properties of thin devices like cardiovascular stents. The results showed that the structured surfaces favor the adhesion, proliferation, and alignment of HUVECs. The proliferation and the alignment of HUVECs were pronounced when periodic distance between two consecutive chain-like structures was 25 µm. Moreover, there was no significant difference of chemical composition on the structured surface suggesting that the cell proliferation and alignment were mainly influenced by the surface topography.

Laser Superficial Fusion of Gold Nanoparticles with PEEK Polymer for Cardiovascular Application

“…To assess the laser beam absorbance of the PEEK material in order to choose the best laser treatment parameters, taking into account final application properties, the experiment of laser power to groove depth correlation was carried out. Based on the current state-of-the-art results [ 2 , 33 , 34 ] one can state that for cardiovascular purposes, the depth of textured patterns should not exceed 5 µm. The following condition is motivated by the delicacy of the blood system implants’ geometry and the need to avoid thrombus formation.…”

“…Laser texturing, in the form of periodic surface microstructures such as grooves, dimples, squares, etc., are mostly used to promote osseointegration in dental and orthopaedic implants applications [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Beside the long term osseointegration and dental/orthopaedic applications, there are also areas that are lifesaving.…”

“…Cell adhesion and proliferation are typically accomplished by all surface forms of structures, such as pits and posts, which have been explored on the surface of various materials such as polymers and metals. Increased adherence, density, monolayer formation, and endothelial cell proliferation have been documented [ 2 , 8 , 9 ]. Beside the mentioned advantages, it is important to create pattern that allows good endothelial cell alignment and provides no opportunity for factor XII to be activated during blood flow, which initiates the whole cascade responsible for inflammatory, thrombosis and clot formation of the blood [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…The following article proposes laser beam micromachining as the most precise way to construct biomimetic micropatterns changing the surface properties. The knowledge suggests that for a new generation of (delicate and thin) cardiac devices, the most desirable depth for the surface modification should not exceed 5 µm [ 2 ]. Nevertheless, it is well known that modification through thin atomic layer deposition (ALD) affects the surface properties of the medical materials [ 13 ].…”

Laser surface texturing of β-Ti alloy for orthopaedics: Effect of different wavelengths and pulse durations

“…Laser surface texturing allows fabricating implants with enhanced biological response characteristics, in which laser-induced surface textures are employed to control protein adsorption and cell adhesion [14][15][16][17].…”