Protein Interactions with Polymer Coatings and Biomaterials

Abstract

Protein adsorption is considered to be the most important factor of the interaction between polymeric biomaterials and body fluids or tissues. Water-mediated hydrophobic and hydration forces as well as electrostatic interactions are believed to be the major factors of protein adsorption. A systematic analysis of various monolayer systems has resulted in general guidelines, the so-called "Whitesides rules". These concepts have been successfully applied for designing various protein-resistant surfaces and are being studied to expand the understanding of protein-material interactions beyond existing limitations. Theories on the mechanisms of protein adsorption are constantly being improved due to the fast-developing analytical technologies. This Review is aimed at improving these empirical guidelines with regard to present theoretical and analytical advances. Current analytical methods to test mechanistic hypotheses and theories of protein-surface interactions will be discussed. Special focus will be given to state-of-the-art bioinert and biospecific coatings and their applications in biomedicine.

Controlling Protein Adsorption through Nanostructured Polymeric Surfaces

“…Description of all these methods would go far beyond the scope of this review; therefore, we direct the reader to excellent reviews on instrumental methods for protein-surface interactions including the orientation and conformation of adsorbed proteins. [9,34] …”

“…[37] Commonly applied strategies to functionalize materials' surfaces to control protein adsorption include monolayer (self-assembly, noncovalent physiosorption, and covalent chemisorption), and multilayer (layer-bylayer) coatings with polymers containing head anchor groups and functional tail chains. [9] Although a promising reduction in protein adsorption and thrombocyte activation has been reported, [38,39] homogeneous and long-term stable monolayer coatings on chemically inert surfaces, like those of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymers used in cardiovascular applications, still remain a challenge. For an overview on functional-groupmediated protein-biomaterial interactions as well as chemistryrelated surface modification techniques, the reader is referred to other reviews.…”

“…For an overview on functional-groupmediated protein-biomaterial interactions as well as chemistryrelated surface modification techniques, the reader is referred to other reviews. [9,40] Surface wettability, generally referred to as hydrophobicity/ hydrophilicity, is another important factor affecting protein adsorption. As widely documented in the literature, the average footprint (unfolding) of a protein molecule [14] and the overall surface coverage [41] are larger on hydrophobic surfaces than on hydrophilic surfaces.…”

Polyglycerol Surfmers and Surfactants for Direct and Inverse Miniemulsion

“…[6] Due to the inherent low functionality of PEG (two end groups), no degradability, undesired oxidative degradation, and the presence of antibodies against PEGylated drugs make the search for alternatives valuable. [7] One promising material is poly(glycerol) (PG) derivative, which is accessible by highly controlled anionic polymerization with multiple functionality and architecture. [7,8] Also some commercial PG-based surfactants, such as poly glycerolpolyricinoleate, are known.…”

“…[7] One promising material is poly(glycerol) (PG) derivative, which is accessible by highly controlled anionic polymerization with multiple functionality and architecture. [7,8] Also some commercial PG-based surfactants, such as poly glycerolpolyricinoleate, are known. [9] Up to now, PG-based Pluronics are www.advancedsciencenews.com www.mbs-journal.…”