Polyvinylpyrrolidone-stabilised gold nanoparticle coatings inhibit blood protein adsorption

Abstract

In this work, the ability of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilised gold nanoparticle (AuNP) coatings to inhibit blood protein adsorption was evaluated by studying time-resolved solid–liquid interactions of the coatings with the model blood protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). Inhibiting unspecific blood protein adsorption is of crucial importance for blood-contacting implant devices, e.g. vascular grafts, stents, artificial joints, and others, as a preventive strategy for bacterial biofilm formation. A quartz crystal microbalance was used in this work to coat the AuNPs on piezoelectric sensors and to follow time-resolved solid–liquid interactions with the proteins. The AuNP coatings were evaluated for their wettability by contact angle measurements, their surface morphology by light- and atomic force microscopy, and their chemical composition by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results revealed a homogeneous distribution of AuNPs on the sensor surface with a dry mass coverage of 3.37 ± 1.46 µg/cm2 and a contact angle of 25.2 ± 1.1°. Solid–liquid interaction studies by quartz crystal microbalance showed a high repellence of BSA from the PVP-stabilised AuNP coatings and the importance of the PVP in the mechanism of repellence. Furthermore, the conformation of the polymer on the coatings as well as its viscoelastic properties were revealed. Finally, the activated partial thrombin time test and fibrinogen adsorption studies revealed that the AuNPs do not accelerate blood coagulation and can partially inhibit the adhesion of fibrinogen, which is a crucial factor in the common blood coagulation cascade. Such AuNPs have the potential to be used in blood-contact medical applications.