Preparation of alginic acid layers on stainless-steel substrates for biomedical applications

This study is concerned with the blood compatibility of alginic acid layers immobilized on γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APS)-grafted stainless-steel (SUS316L). The surfaces were characterized with contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The blood compatibility was evaluated in terms of platelet adhesion and blood clotting time. An in vitro platelet adhesion assay indicated that only a small number of platelets adhered to substrate surfaces modified with γ-APS and subsequently with alginic acid. Moreover, alginic-acid-immobilized SUS316L substrates had little effect on the blood clotting time. This indicated that alginic-acid-immobilized SUS316L substrates do not adsorb some blood-clotting proteins or factors, or stimulate them.