Hemocompatibility of polymeric nanostructured surfaces

Abstract

Tissue integration is an important property when inducing transplant tolerance, however, the hemocompatibility of the biomaterial surface also plays an important role in the ultimate success of the implant. Therefore, in order to induce transplant tolerance, it is critical to understand the interaction of blood components with the material surfaces. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption of key blood serum proteins, in vitro adhesion and activation of platelets and clotting kinetics of whole blood on flat polycaprolactone (PCL) surfaces, nanowire (NW) surfaces and nanofiber (NF) surfaces. Previous studies have shown that polymeric nanostructured surfaces improve cell adhesion, proliferation and viability; however it is unclear how these polymeric nanostructured surfaces interact with the blood and its components. Protein adsorption results indicate that while there were no significant differences in total albumin adsorption on PCL, NW and NF surfaces, NW surfaces had higher total fibrinogen and immunoglobulin-G adsorption compared to NF and PCL surfaces. In contrast, NF surfaces had higher surface FIB and IgG adsorption compared to PCL and NW surfaces. Platelet adhesion and viability studies show more adhesion and clustering of platelets on the NF surfaces as compared to PCL and NW surfaces. Platelet activation studies reveal that NW surfaces have the highest percentage of unactivated platelets, whereas NF surfaces have the highest percentage of fully activated platelets. Whole blood clotting results indicate that NW surfaces maintain an increased amount of free hemoglobin during the clotting process compared to PCL and NF surface, indicating less clotting and slower rate of clotting on their surfaces.

Protein Interactions with Polymer Coatings and Biomaterials

“…One important method in this respect is electrophoresis, and here especially the corresponding 2D and/or Western blot techniques 116. 117 It should be considered that different methods including comparative instrumental analyses of surface bound proteins, e.g., by XPS and biochemical analysis of desorbed proteins in solution, may provide substantially different results 118. This is due to incomplete desorption and/or the limited capability of surface‐based analytical techniques to access porous polymer structures.…”

Antithrombogenic properties of a nitric oxide-releasing dextran derivative: evaluation of platelet activation and whole blood clotting kinetics

“…Platelet adhesion and activation studies were performed by following a modified procedure reported previously 40–42 . In brief, whole blood from the healthy donor was drawn into standard 6 mL vacuum tubes coated with the anti-coagulant, EDTA.…”

Hemocompatibility of Superhemophobic Titania Surfaces

“…Titanium‐based implants have received a great deal of attention for their biocompatibility with many different tissues in the human body . However, when these implants come in contact with blood, platelet adhesion and activation occur, which may lead to further thrombosis and sometimes failure of these implants . It is well known that blood platelet adhesion and activation can be tailored by tuning the chemistry and texture of surfaces .…”