Effect of Plasma Pretreatment on Heparin Immobilization on Polymer Sheet

Abstract

The effect of plasma pretreatment on immobilization of heparin on polymer surface was investigated using argon and/or ammonia surface-wave plasmas. Heparin was immobilized by binding with the amino groups introduced by the ammonia plasma on the polymer surface and was confirmed by toluidine blue test and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The ratio of sulfur contained in heparin significantly increased with the contents of amino groups after the heparin immobilization process. It suggests that most heparins are covalently bound to the amino groups introduced on the polyurethane surfaces.