Polymer Coatings on Biodegradable Metal Alloys

Biodegradable stents have great potential of becoming a valid alternative for the treatment of coronary artery occlusion. This new class of stents requires materials with enhanced mechanical properties and controllable degradation behavior without inducing toxicological problems. It is anticipated that absorbable polymer coatings on biodegradable alloys will also serve as a scaffold for controlled drug release. In this investigation, magnesium based biodegradable alloys coated with absorbable polymers are studied for its corrosion and wear resistance. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the polymer-coated alloys was assessed by evaluating the cytotoxicity of the solutions collected after corrosion on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The effect of surface morphology, surface energy and roughness of the polymer-coated alloy on endothelialization was assessed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Kyowa Contact Angle measurements and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) respectively.

Keywords: biodegradable, polymer coating, endothelial cells.