NUST Institutions Library Catalogue

Background: Development and fabrication of medical implants to monitor or treat the
damaged or missing body part is becoming an important field of biomedicine because of
increasing aged population which is more susceptible to chronic diseases. Tissue damage
occurring during the implantation process, coupled with the prolonged presence of a
foreign device within the body, can set off a series of reactions. These reactions, in turn,
can culminate in the onset of foreign body responses, ultimately leading to a loss of
functionality and potential implant failure. Damage to surrounding tissue during
implantation, combined with the extended presence of foreign devices in the body, can
trigger a cascade of events. These events may give rise to foreign body reactions that, in
turn, result in the loss of implant functionality and potential implant failure. Historically,
different techniques were employed to suppress inflammation and the formation of fibrous
encapsulation around implants, with the goal of ensuring their sustained, long-term
functionality. Nevertheless, these approaches often addressed only one facet of the
problem, leaving the implants susceptible to disruption by other biological phenomena.
Thus, there is a need to develop multifunctional biomedical devices comprising of different
biomaterials which could synergically work and inhibit more than one biological activity.
Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a multifunctional biomedical implant
surface which had anti-coagulation, anti-thrombosis, anticorrosive and anti-material
leaching properties.
Methodology: A combination of passive and active modifications was proposed which
could provide an anti-corrosive and anti-coagulant surface, respectively. First, different
surface modifications including electropolishing, graphite coating and micropores
formation were carried out and their hemocompatibility, anti-corrosive and anti-material
leaching properties were compared and most suitable candidate was selected. Then,
biological active modifications were fabricated to inhibit the thrombo-inflammatory
cascades through pharmacological active ingredients. Novel ingredients from natural
sources were embedded into different polymeric matrixes and their degradation, release
kinetics, antioxidative potential and anticoagulation properties were compared and the
most suitable candidate was selected. The mechanism of action of shortlisted candidate was
predicted through the tools of bioinformatics and presence of pharmacological active
ingredients responsible for inhibition of coagulation cascade were confirmed through GC-
vi
MS analysis. Afterwards, the passive and active modifications were combined, and their
synergic effects were evaluated