Prevention of protein adsorption by PEO surface modification
Abstract
Biocompatibility is one of the major concerns in the development of blood-contacting materials. Surface modification with hydrophilic polymers such as poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) may significantly improve biocompatibility without compromising the desirable bulk properties of the material. PEO was grafted to trichlorovinylsilane (TCVS)-coated inorganic substrates with $\gamma$-radiation. Nitinol and pyrolytic carbon, which are used in implantable biomedical devices, were thus rendered protein- and platelet-resistant. TCVS-glass was found to be an excellent model for the study of surface modification to improve biocompatibility. A similar approach was taken to modify organic biomaterials. Polybutadiene was used as an intermediary layer to facilitate the grafting of PEO to polyester surfaces. Fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion were reduced on the grafted substrates. The TCVS-coating method was employed in studies of the mechanism by which PEO surface modification prevents protein adsorption. The steric repulsion theory was found to explain the solution and surface adsorption behavior of amphiphilic PEO block copolymers. The polymer adsorption isotherms correlated well with reductions in lysozyme and fibrinogen adsorption to polymer-grafted glass. Thus, the rational design of biocompatible surfaces should be advanced by the protein adsorption and polymer grafting data described.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Park, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Pharmaceuticals|Biomedical research
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