Hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) or poly(dimethyl siloxane): synthesis, characterization, in vitro protein adsorption and platelet adhesion
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Abstract
In vitro protein adsorption, platelet adhesion and activation on new hydrogel surfaces,
composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) or poly(dimethyl
siloxane) (PDMS), were investigated. By varying PEO length (MW = 2000 or 3400), hydrophobic
components (PTMO or PDMS) or polymer topology (block or graft copolymers), various
physical hydrogels were produced. Their structures were verified by 1H NMR and ATR-IR
and the molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The hydrogels
were soluble in a variety of organic solvents, while absorbed a significant amount
of water with preserved three-dimensional structure by physical crosslinking. The
dynamic contact angle measurement revealed that the surface hydrophilicity increased
by incorporating longer PEO, PEO grafting, and adopting PDMS as a hydrophobic segment
instead of PTMO. It was observed from in vitro protein adsorption study that the hydrogels
exhibited significantly lower adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA), human fibrinogen
(HFg), and IgG, when compared with Pellethane, a commercial polyurethane taken as
a control. The hydrogels were attractive for HSA but not sensitive to HFg and IgG.
And more than 65% of the proteins detected on the surfaces of the hydrogels were reversibly
detached by being treated with an SDS solution. It was evident that the hydrogels
synthesized in this study were much more resistant to platelet adhesion than the control,
which might depend on the composition of proteins adsorbed on the surfaces and their
degree of denaturation. Among the hydrogels tested, PEO3,4kPDMS exhibited albumin-rich
and platelet-resistant surfaces, implying a potential candidate for biomaterial.