Application of the High-Voltage Nanosecond Discharge for the Control of Proliferation of Fibroblast Cells on the Surface of Fluorine-Carbon Polymer Implants

Abstract

The possibility of modifying the surface of film implants of porous fluoroplastic by treating them with a low-temperature plasma of a high-voltage discharge with a nanosecond duration was investigated. The specimens were films for reconstructive surgery (FRS) and films for the replacement of bone defects (FRBD) from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The duration of the plasma treatment of the specimens ranged from 1 to 10 s. The surface quality of the films was estimated by their roughness and hydrophilic behavior using an atomic force microscope. It has been found that the plasma treatment significantly increases the surface roughness, which is associated with a change in its structure. The degree of the hydrophilicity of the surface of the FRS and FRBD films was determined by the roll-off angle of a water droplet and depended on the initial state of the surface (the smooth or corrugated side of the specimen), the gas discharge gap width, and the duration of the plasma treatment. A correlation between the roll-off angle of a water droplet and the proliferative capacity of the cells that were inoculated was found: the larger the roll-off angle, the higher the density of the cells observed on the surface. It has been found that the plasma treatment hardly affects the mechanical strength of the films and ensures the sterility of the films for 28 days after the plasma treatment for 1 s.