Polymeric surfaces protein adhesion

Adhesion forces recorded by a fibronectin-coated AFM probe correlated with fluorescence measurements of protein adhesion on the polymer array, and both methods proved useful in characterizing protein-polymer interactions on a polymer array (Figure 27). ° While only a demonstration, the ability to discover relationships between surface chemistry and surface properties using this combined multiprong analysis with polymeric microarrays is notably powerful. 

A two-dimensional micropatterned tissue can be easily obtained by utihz-ing the inherent differences in cell adhesiveness between different micropatterned photografted regions. This was attained by photoiniferter graft polymerization with a projection mask placed on an iniferter-derivatized surface. Since protein adsorption and cell adhesion are markedly suppressed on nonionic graft polymers, such as polyDMAm, any anchorage-dependent cells such as endothelial cell adhere and proliferate only on nonirradiated surfaces, resulting in the formation of a two-dimensional patterned tissue or cellular sheet (Fig. 24). 

Random polypeptides have traditionally been synthesized by copolymerization of amino acid NCAs. Methods for the synthesis and application of random copolymers have been extensively reviewed (e.g., ref1221), and thus only a single example is given here. A second class of random polypeptides includes organized polymeric assemblies that incorporate bioactive sequences and/or structures. Such polymers have been developed for modulation of protein-ligand interactions/231 protein adsorption to surfaces/241 and cell adhesion/25-281 Several examples for the synthesis of these polymeric assemblies are provided below. 

In this section, we will highlight the use of the grafting technique for designing polymeric biomaterial surfaces that exhibit non-fouling property, selective protein adsorption, enhanced tissue adhesion, and minimum frictional damage to mucosa membranes. 

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