Effect of oxygen plasma treatment on surface charge and wettability of PVC blood bag - In vitro assay

Wettability and zeta potential studies were performed to characterize the hydrophobicity and surface charge of PVC blood bag samples and evaluate the effect of these properties on fibroblast cells growth. The surface properties of PVC and plasma treated PVC were compared by water drop contact angle and zeta potential measurement. Light microscopy was used to study the behavior of cell attachment and growth on these surfaces. Water drop contact angle measurement shows that the plasma treated PVC becomes more hydrophilic and wettability increased. Zeta potential and in vitro cell culture measurements noticed that the plasma treated PVC surface is more negatively charge and consequently attachment of the L929 fibroblast cells decreased on this surface. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.