Thromboresistant silicon plates modified with chitosan and heparin by the layer-by-layer assembly method

Fifteen samples of silicone plates (PlateSi, area=12 cm2), with surfaces modified layer-by-layer with chitosan and unfractionated heparin, were obtained. The sample surfaces were pre-treated by cold oxygen plasma in a planar-type plasma chemical reactor with 50 W power before coating with layered polysaccharides. Pre-treatment was carried out in two alternative operation modes of the reactor, namely in the plasma etching mode and in the reactive-ion etching mode. Thromboresistance was assessed in vitro in contact with human blood. The thromboresistant silicon plates, modified layer-by-layer (3, 5, 7, and 9 bilayers) with chitosan, with molecular weights of 65 kDa, increased with the increase in the number of layers, up to 5. An increase in the duration of thromboresistance was observed in layer-by-layer modification of the surface of the plates with chitosan with a molecular weight of 200 kDa or with quaternized chitosan with a molecular weight of 200 kDa. Some samples of highly thromboresistant, modified PlateSi contributed to the adhesion of platelets and the haemolysis of red blood cells to a lesser extent than untreated silicon plates. The three most promising samples of modified PlateSi were selected.