Protein adsorption onto ceramic surfaces

Abstract

Ceramics seldom have been used as blood-contacting materials. However, alumina ceramic (Al2O3) and polyethylene are incorporated into the pivot bearings of the Gyro centrifugal blood pump. This material combination was chosen based on the high durability of the materials. Due to the stagnant flow that often occurs in a continuous flow condition inside a centrifugal pump, pivot bearing system is extremely critical. To evaluate the thombogenicity of pivot bearings in the Gyro pump, this study sought to investigate protein adsorption, particularly albumin, IgG, fibrinogen, and fibronectin onto ceramic surfaces. Al2O3 and silicon carbide ceramic (SiC) were compared with polyethylene (PE) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein assay revealed that the amount of adsorbed proteins onto Al2O3 and SiC was significantly less than that on PVC. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) indicated that numerous proteins adsorbed onto PVC compared to PE, Al2O3, and SiC. Identification of adsorbed proteins by Western immunoblotting revealed that the adsorption of albumin was similar on all four materials tested. Western immunoblotting also indicated lesser amounts of IgG, fibrinogen, and fibronectin on Al2O3 and SiC than on PE and PVC. In conclusion, ceramics (Al2O3 and SiC) are expected to be thromboresistant from the viewpoint of protein adsorption.

Evaluation of Platelet Adhesion and Activation on Materials for an Implantable Centrifugal Blood Pump

“…However, it is worthy of note that the ceramics (Al 2 O 3 , SiC) have platelet resistant features comparable to those of pTi. This finding coincides with our previous findings that the amounts of absorbed proteins onto Al 2 O 3 and SiC were very small and that they exhibited very little adsorption of IgG, fibrinogen, and fibronectin ( 31). Although antithrombogenic properties of ceramics have been suggested by other investigators using ceramic valves ( 32, 33), the mechanism to elucidate the property remains to be clarified.…”

Fundamentals of Biomedical Applications of Biomorphic SiC

“…These properties may translate into less protein biofouling and better compatibility for intravascular applications rather than Si. SiC has relatively low levels of fibrinogen and fibrin deposition when contacting blood (Takami et al, 1998). These proteins promote local clot formation; thus, the tendency not to adsorb them will resist blood clotting.…”

Effect of glass dissolution products on the detection of proteins by silver staining

“…There are a variety of methods for investigating the extent and character of proteins that adsorb to surfaces, and each approach is capable of providing slightly different information. For example, sodium dodecylsulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) has previously been used to characterize the adsorption of proteins onto a variety of materials 7–15. The motivation for using SDS‐PAGE in these instances was the ability to resolve multiple proteins on the basis of molecular weight.…”