Nonspecific protein adsorption generally occurs at the biomaterial-tissue interface and usually has adverse consequences. Thus, surfaces that are protein-resistant are eagerly sought with the expectation that these materials will exhibit improved biocompatibility. Surfaces modified with end-tethered poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) have been shown to be protein-resistant to some degree. Although the mechanisms are unclear, it has been suggested that chain length, chain density, and chain conformation are important factors. To investigate the effects of PEO chain density, we selected a model system based on the chemisorption of chain-end thiolated PEO to a gold substrate. Chain density was varied by varying PEO solubility (proximity to cloud point) and incubation time in the chemisorption solution. The adsorption of fibrinogen and lysozyme to these surfaces was investigated. It was found that for 750 and 2000 MW PEO layers, resistance to fibrinogen increased with chain density and was maximal at a density of approximately 0.5 chains/nm(2) (80% decrease in adsorption compared to unmodified gold). As PEO chain density increased beyond 0.5/nm(2) adsorption increased. For PEO of 5000 MW the optimal chain density was 0.27/nm(2) and gave only a 60% reduction in fibrinogen adsorption. It is suggested that, at high chain density, the chemisorbed PEO is dehydrated giving a surface that is no longer protein resistant. The PEO-modified surfaces were found also to be resistant to lysozyme adsorption with reductions similar to, if somewhat less than, those for fibrinogen. The fibrinogen to lysozyme molar ratios were within the expected range for close-packed layers of these proteins in their native conformation and were relatively insensitive to PEO chain density and MW. This may suggest that such adsorption as did occur, even at chain densities giving minimum adsorption, may have been on patches of unmodified gold.

A clear understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the protein-resistant nature of end-tethered poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) surfaces remains elusive. A barrier to improved understanding is the fact that many of the factors involved (chain length, chain density, hydration, conformation, and distal chemistry) are inherently correlated. We hypothesize that, by comparing systems of variable but precisely known chain density, it should be possible to gain additional insight into the effects of the other factors. To evaluate this hypothesis, chain-end-thiolated PEOs were chemisorbed to gold-coated silicon wafers such that a range of chain densities was obtained. Three different PEOs were investigated: hydroxy-terminated chains of molecular weight 600 (600-OH), methoxy-terminated chains of molecular weight 750 (750-OCH3), and methoxy-terminated chains of molecular weight 2000 (2000-OCH3). In situ null ellipsometry was used to determine PEO chemisorption kinetics, ultimate PEO chain densities, protein adsorption kinetics, and ultimate protein adsorbed quantities. With this approach, it was possible to ascertain the effects of PEO distal chemistry (-OH, -OCH3), chain length, and layer hydration on protein adsorption. The data obtained suggested that properties related to chain density (conformational freedom, hydration) were the main determinants of protein resistance at chain densities up to a critical value of approximately 0.5 chain/nm2; at this value, protein adsorption was a minimum for the methoxy-terminated PEOs. For the hydroxyl-terminated PEO, adsorption leveled off at the critical value. Thus distal chemistry appears to be a major determinant of protein resistance at chain densities greater than the critical value.

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