Facilitation of endothelial cell growth on hydroxylated ePTFE vascular grafts.

The authors have modified ePTFE by hydroxylating the surface using aluminum deposition and removal with sodium hydroxide. This process has no effect on the microfibrillar structure, but reduces the hydrophobicity of ePTFE. There were significantly greater numbers of rat aortic endothelial cells on the surface of modified as compared to control ePTFE after 14 days (469 +/- 44 vs. 4 +/- 3 cells/mm2, p less than 0.01, paired t-test). This simple chemical modification facilitates endothelialization, without using thrombogenic cell adhesives.