A Multidisciplinary Experiment to Characterize Antifouling Biocompatible Interfaces via Quantification of Surface Protein Adsorption

Abstract

Novel biomaterial development is a rapidly growing field that is crucial because biomaterial fouling, due to rapid and irreversible protein adsorption, leads to cellular responses and potentially detrimental consequences such as surface thrombosis, biofilm formation, or inflammation. Therefore, biomaterial technology's fundamentals, like material biocompatibility, are critical in undergraduate education. Exposing undergraduate students to biomaterials and biomedical engineering through interdisciplinary experiments allows them to integrate knowledge from different fields to analyze multidisciplinary results. In this practical laboratory experiment, undergraduate students will characterize surface properties (contact and sliding angle measurements) for the antifouling polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer using a goniometer and a smartphone, as well as quantify protein adsorption on antifouling surfaces via a colorimetric assay kit to develop their understanding of antifouling surface characteristics, UV−vis spectroscopy, and colorimetric assays. The antifouling PDMS polymer is prepared by silicone oil infusion and compared to untreated control PDMS. The polymer hydrophobicity was demonstrated by static water contact angles of ∼99°and 102°for control and antifouling PDMS surfaces, respectively. The control PDMS sliding angle (>90°) was significantly reduced to 9°after antifouling preparation. After 24 h incubation of polymer samples in a 200 mg/mL bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution, the surface adsorbed BSA was quantified using a colorimetric assay. The adsorbed protein on the fouling PDMS controls (29.1 ± 7.0 μg/cm 2 ) was reduced by ∼79% on the antifouling PDMS surface (6.2 ± 0.9 μg/cm 2 ). Students will gain experience in materials science, biomedical engineering, chemistry, and biology concepts and better understand the influence of material properties on biological responses for biomaterial interfaces.

Recent Developments in Multifunctional Antimicrobial Surfaces and Applications toward Advanced Nitric Oxide-Based Biomaterials

“…NO-releasing medical devices made of silicone rubber polymer have shown promising ability to be infused with Si oil to create an antimicrobial and antifouling interface. ,,, Such surfaces can be impregnated with the NO donor SNAP and then later infused with Si oil to generate the antifouling surfaces (Figure B). Reports suggest that infusion with Si oil not only improved the controlled release of NO but also reduced the leaching of SNAP while maintaining the ultralow fouling property of the liquid-infused silicone tubing surface .…”

Optimizing anisotropic transport on bioinspired sawtooth surfaces

“…These phenomena have inspired many materials designed for more efficient surface water transport, for example in coatings that limit biofouling in medical devices. 10 The control of solvent flows [11][12][13][14][15] may allow for easier cleaning and better control of protein adsorption. Butterflies have adapted special structures to take advantage of anisotropic wetting properties.…”

“…This unique property is already being investigated for applications in medicine, where it can help eliminate biofouling. 10 Further applications are being investigated in industrial longevity, where corrosion prevention is necessary. 47 In all applications better control of solvent flow means better control of product degradation and a more consistent product.…”

Whey Protein Analysis Using the Lowry Assay and 96-Well-Plate Digital Images Acquired Using Smartphones

“…Digital images acquired using electronic devices were also used for pH evaluation, titration, − investigation of friction and wetting, quantifications of abasic sites within DNA nucleotides, measurement of the contact angle, , quantification of surface protein adsorption, measurements of liquid binary diffusivities, measurement of fluorescence quenching, explorations of chemical kinetics, − finding p K a values . and lateral flow assays …”