Polytetrafluoroethylene (
PTFE) is one of the
polymers extensively applied in biomedicine. However, the application of
PTFE as a small-diameter vascular graft results in
thrombosis and intimal
hyperplasia because of the immune response. Therefore, improving the biocompatibility and
anticoagulant properties of
PTFE is a key to solving this problem. In this study, a
hydroxyl group-rich surface was obtained by oxidizing a
benzoin-reduced
PTFE membrane. Then,
chondroitin sulfate (CS), an
anticoagulant, was grafted on the surface of the hydroxylated
PTFE membrane using
3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The successful modification of the membrane in each step was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Hydroxylation and the grafting of CS greatly increased the hydrophilicity and roughness of membrane samples. Moreover, the hydroxylated
PTFE membrane enhanced the adhesion ability of endothelial cells, and the grafting of CS also promoted the proliferation of endothelial cells and decreased platelet adhesion. The results indicate that the
PTFE membranes grafted with CS are able to facilitate rapid endothelialization and inhibit
thrombus formation, which makes the proposed method outstanding for
artificial blood vessel applications.