Pyrolytic carbon was chosen because of its importance in cardiovascular applications. The model involves treating the pyrolytic carbon with various oxidative chemicals that occur as a result of cell activation, such as bleach, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide, as well as, human monocyte-derived macrophages. The test samples are then analyzed for the effects of these treatments on physical changes in the material and possible changes in the cell activation potential. The data indicated that some of the oxidizing treatments, particularly superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, bleach and monocyte-derived macrophages, result in surface morphology and oxygenation changes of the pyrolytic carbon. Biological activity was not increased by the oxidation treatments.
Further work is in progress to validate the cellular results.