title: Endothelialization of TiO2 Nanorods Coated with Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Films.
abstract: Carbon plasma nanocoatings with controlled fraction of sp(3)-C bonding were deposited on TiO2 nanorod arrays (TNAs) by DC magnetic-filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD). The cytocompatibility of TNA/carbon nanocomposites was systematically investigated. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on the nanocomposites for 4, 24, and 72 h in vitro. It was found that plasma-treated TNAs exhibited excellent cell viability as compared to the untreated. Importantly, our results show that cellular responses positively correlate with the sp(3)-C content. The cells cultured on high sp(3)-C-contented substrates exhibit better attachment, shape configuration, and proliferation. These findings indicate that the nanocomposites with high sp(3)-C content possessed superior cytocompatibility. Notably, the nanocomposites drastically reduced platelet adhesion and activation in our previous studies. Taken together, these findings suggest the TNA/carbon scaffold may serve as a guide for the design of multi-functionality devices that promotes endothelialization and improves hemocompatibility.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hongpeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. stscdh@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dihu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Amorphous carbon coatings; Cytocompatibility; Hemocompatibility; Human umbilical vein endothelial cells; Nanocomposites; TiO2 nanorods