Preliminary investigation of the effects of surface treatments on biological response to shape memory NiTi stents.

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) offers many advantages for the fabrication of coronary stents: shape memory, superelasticity, and radiopacity. However, many authors highlighted the selective dissolution of Ni from the alloy during the corrosion process that could lead to potential toxicity. The improvement of the NiTi stent's corrosion resistance by different surface treatments (electropolishing, heat treatment, and nitric acid passivation) was reported in a previous article. In the present study a comparative biocompatibility evaluation of such stents was performed through in vitro and in vivo assays. A cell proliferation test was completed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of surface treated NiTi using human fibroblasts. Then a stent implantation was performed in rabbit paramuscular muscle to study the inflammatory response generated by the same implants. Cell proliferation tests generally indicated an in vitro biocompatibility of our samples similar to the control group. An in vivo implantation study demonstrated the gradual overall reduction with time of the fibrocellular capsule thickness surrounding the implants. After a 12-week implantation period, the fibrous capsules surrounding the different implants tended toward the same value of 0.07 mm, which suggested that all surface treatments produced a similar biological response. This low value of the fibrocellular capsule indicated that our NiTi surface treated implants were relatively inert.

Effect of modification of oxide layer on NiTi stent corrosion resistance.

Because of its good radiopacity, superelasticity, and shape memory properties, nickel-titanium (NiTi) is a potential material for fabrication of stents because these properties can facilitate their implantation and precise positioning. However, in vitro studies of NiTi alloys report the dependence of alloy biocompatibility and corrosion behavior on surface conditions. Surface oxidation seems to be very promising for improving the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of NiTi. In this work, we studied the effect on corrosion resistance and surface characteristics of electropolishing, heat treatment, and nitric acid passivation of NiTi stents. Characterization techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization tests, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to relate corrosion behavior to surface characteristics and surface treatments. Results show that all of these surface treatments improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy. This improvement is attributed to the plastically deformed native oxide layer removal and replacement by a newly grown, more uniform one. The uniformity of the oxide layer, rather than its thickness and composition, seems to be the predominant factor to explain the corrosion resistance improvement.

Corrosion resistance improvement of NiTi osteosynthesis staples by plasma polymerized tetrafluoroethylene coating.

NiTi shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are potential biomaterial candidates for medical devices such as osteosynthesis staples. However, Ni dissolution induced by uniform or localized corrosion could lead to toxicity. In this work, plasma polymerized tetrafluoroethylene (PPFTE) coating is used to improve the corrosion resistance of NiTi plates and corresponding NiTi stables. The scratch test indicates a good surface adhesion of the film but that it lacks cohesiveness. Potentiodynamic tests in physiological Hank's solution show that PPTFE coating improved the pitting corrosion resistance. The passivation range is increased from 35% to 96% compared to the untreated sample and the pit diameter is decreased from 100 microns to 10 microns. The uniformity of the deposited film is a very important parameter. When the film is damaged, the corrosion seems to increase in comparison to the untreated samples. Otherwise, if the staple is carefully manipulated, the coating follows the large deformations induced by the memory effect of the alloy without cracking, and then, protects efficiently the staple from pitting.

A chemical study of 2-butyne-1,4-diol.

Commercial grade 2-butyne-1,4-diol has been used in electroplating for several years. In laboratory experiments, its presence in the electrolyte increases the current efficiency of zinc electro-winning. Its chemical behaviour in solution is not well known. The present paper indicates that the brownish technical grade 2-butyne-1,4-diol contains the monomer, the dimer and some trimer. Pure monomeric 2-butyne-1,4-diol is a white solid obtained by evaporation of the technical grade product. The monomer is slowly transformed into dimer and possibly into a trimer when dissolved in water. Various analytical techniques were used in the study of this system. Factor analysis with column cross-validation was applied to chromatographic data to help in the resolution of the system.