Human umbilical vein endothelial cell interaction with fluorine- incorporated amorphous carbon films

A major clinical concern in coronary intervention for cardiovascular disease is late stent thrombosis after the implantation of drug eluting stents (DES). DES widely used in clinical settings currently utilize polymer coatings, which can induce persistent arterial wall inflammation and delayed vascular healing, resulting in impaired endothelialization. We examined the viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) for fluorine-incorporated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:F) coatings, which are known to be anti-thrombogenic. a-C:H:F and a-C:H were synthesized on the tissue culture dishes using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition by varying the ratio of hexafluoroethane and acetylene. HUVECs were seeded on coated dishes for 6 days. The results indicate that the a-C:H:F surface does not disturb HUVEC proliferation in 6 days of culture and is promising for stent materials that allows the preservation of endothelialization, even if the fluorine concentration of a-C:H surface affects the early adhesion of endothelial cells.