Preparation of a stable phospholipid monolayer grafted onto a methacryloyl-terminated substrate as blood compatible materials

Microwrinkled pH-sensitive hydrogel films and their role on the cell adhesion/proliferation

In this work, hydrogels based on HEMA and DMAEMA (pH-sensitive monomer) were used to form biocompatible films which present microwrinkled patterns in their surface, with the focus of exploring the role of chemical composition on cell adhesion and proliferation. Three different pH (5.4, 7.4, and 8.3) were employed to prepare these hydrogels. The pre-polymerized hydrogel mixtures were deposited via spin coating, then exposed to vacuum for deswelling the films and finally, to UV-light to spontaneously generate the wrinkled pattern. By following this procedure, is possible to form a thin rigid layer on the top of the soft and incompletely polymerized hydrogel film which generates, in turn, a wrinkled pattern due to strain mismatch in the interface. FE-SEM and AFM micrographs allowed us to characterize the wrinkled pattern dimensions. The results evidenced that chemical composition is directly related to the surface pattern morphologies obtained, not so in the case of pH variation, which does not generate relevant changes in the pattern morphology. Interestingly, these pH variations resulted in significant alterations on the interface-cell interactions. More precisely, a premyoblastic cell monolayer was cultured over the wrinkled pattern, showing an optimal cell proliferation at neutral pH. Also, the variation of DMAEMA amount on the monomer feed composition employed for the preparation of the wrinkle surfaces revealed that a certain amount is required to favor cell attachment and growth.

Micrometric Wrinkled Patterns Spontaneously Formed on Hydrogel Thin Films via Argon Plasma Exposure

The generation of microstructured patterns on the surface of a specific polymeric material could radically improve their performance in a particular application. Most of the interactions with the environment occur at the material interface; therefore, increasing the exposed active surface considerably improves their range of application. In this article, a simple and reliable protocol to form spontaneous wrinkled patterns using a hydrogel layer is reported. For this purpose, we took advantage of the doctor blade technique in order to generate homogenous films over solid substrates with controlled thickness and large coverage. The hydrogel wrinkle formation involves a prepolymerization step which produces oligomers leading to a solution with increased viscosity, enough for doctor blade deposition. Subsequently, the material was exposed to vacuum and plasma to trigger wrinkled pattern formation. Finally, a UV-polymerization treatment was applied to fix the undulations on top. Interestingly, the experimental parameters allowed us to finely tune the wrinkle characteristics (period, amplitude, and orientation). For this study, two main aspects were explored. The first one is related to the role of the substrate functionalization on the wrinkle formation. The second study correlates the deswelling time and its relationship with the dimensions and distribution of the wrinkle pattern. In the first batch, four different 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TSM) concentrations were used to functionalize the substrate in order to enhance the adhesion between hydrogel film and the substrate. The wrinkles formed were characterized in terms of wrinkle amplitude, wavelength, pattern roughness, and surface Young modulus, by using AFM in imaging and force spectroscopy modes. Moreover, the chemical composition of the hydrogel film cross-section and the effect of the plasma treatment were analyzed with confocal Raman spectroscopy. These results demonstrated that an oxidized layer was formed on top of the hydrogel films due to the exposure to an argon plasma.

Floating lipid bilayers deposited on chemically grafted phosphatidylcholine surfaces

Floating supported bilayers (FSBs) are new systems which have emerged over the past few years to produce supported membrane mimics, where the bilayers remain associated with the substrate, but are cushioned from the substrates constraining influence by a large hydration layer. In this paper we describe a new approach to fabricating FSBs using a chemically grafted phospholipid layer as the support for the floating membrane. The grafted lipid layer was produced using a Langmuir-Schaeffer transfer of acryloyl-functionalized lipid onto a pre-prepared substrate, with AIBN-induced cross-polymerization to permanently bind the lipids in place. A bilayer of DSPC was then deposited onto this grafted monolayer using a combination of Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaeffer transfer. The resulting system was characterized by neutron reflection under two water contrasts, and we show that the new system shows a hydrating layer of approximately 17.5 A in the gel phase, which is comparable to previously described FSB systems. We provide evidence that the grafted substrate is reusable after cleaning and suggest that this greatly simplifies the fabrication and characterization of FSBs compared to previous methods.

Group reorientation and migration of amphiphilic polymer bearing phosphorylcholine functionalities on surface of cellular membrane mimicking coating

Amphiphilic polymers bearing phosphorylcholine (PC) groups can form films of interfacial structure similar to that of the outer membrane of living cells. The films, as prepared, present PC groups to the external aqueous environment and exhibit good biocompatibility. However, under certain conditions, the surface structure can change irreversibly due to the reorientation and deep migration of the surface groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), dynamic contact angle measurements, and cell culture experiments were used to investigate the reorientation and migration of the surface groups of an amphiphilic PC-polymer coating. When the polymer surface is immersed into or drawn out of water, significant reorientation and group migration occurs, as suggested by the large difference between the advancing and receding contact angles. Angle-resolved XPS measurements indicate that the hydrophobic groups move to the air/film interface while the hydrophilic groups migrate towards the bulk of the polymer coating. Long periods of aging may result in irreversible changes of the surface structure and decrease the biocompatibility of the materials.

Cell mimetic lateral stabilization of outer cell mimetic bilayer on polymer surfaces by peptide bonding and their blood compatibility

The biological lipid bilayer membranes are stabilized laterally with the help of integral proteins. We have simulated this with an optimized ternary phospholipid/glycolipid/cholesterol system, and stabilized laterally on functionalized poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces, using albumin, heparin, and polyethylene glycol as anchors. We have earlier demonstrated the differences due to orientation and packing of the ternary phospholipid monolayers in relation to blood compatibility (Kaladhar and Sharma, Langmuir 2004;20:11115-11122). The structure of albumin is changed here to expose its interior hydrophobic core by treating with organic solvent. The interaction between the hydrophobic core of the albumin molecule and the hydrophobic core of the lipid molecules is confirmed by incorporating the molecule into bilayer membranes. The secondary structure of the membrane incorporated albumin is studied by CD spectral analysis. The structure of the altered albumin molecule contains more beta-sheet as compared to the native albumin. This conformation is also retained in membranes. The partitioning of the different anchors based on its polarity and ionic interactions in the monolayer is studied from the pressure-area (pi-A) isotherm of the lipid monolayers at the air/water interface using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) trough facility. Such two monolayers are deposited onto the functionalized PMMA surface using LB trough and crosslinked by carbodiimide chemistry. The structure of the deposited bilayer is studied by depth analysis using contact mode AFM in dry conditions. The stabilized bilayer shows stability up to 1 month by contact angle studies. Preliminary blood compatibility studies reveal that the calcification, protein adsorption, as well as blood-cell adhesion is significantly reduced after the surface modification. The reduced adsorption of ions, proteins, and cells to the modified surfaces may be due to the fluidity of the microenvironment along with the contribution of the mobile PEG groups at the surface and the phosphorylcholine groups of the phospholipids. The stability of the anchored bilayer under low shear stress conditions promises that the laterally stabilized supported bilayer system can be used for low shear applications like small diameter vascular graft and modification of biosensors, and so forth.

Covalently grafted phospholipid monolayer on silicone catheter surface for reduction in platelet adhesion

We report a novel method of surface grafting a polymeric phospholipid system containing an acryloyl end group (1stearoyl-2-[12-(acryloyloxy)-dodecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) onto medical grade silicone catheters. The surface of silicone catheters was functionalized in a sequence of steps: plasma polymerization of allyl alcohol on the catheter surface, grafting acryloyl moieties and in situ polymerization of the pre-assembled acryloyl terminated phospholipids on the acryloyl functionalized catheter surface. The surface morphological changes analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), a sharp decrease in water contact angle, and appearance of N1s peak in XPS analysis indicated a successful monolayer grafting of the phospholipid. In platelet adhesion tests performed using platelets isolated from rabbit plasma, the phospholipid grafted surface showed fewer adhered platelets, without emerging pseudopodes or aggregation. However, ungrafted catheter surface showed large number of platelets in extensively spread and aggregated states. Thus, this modified phospholipid system and its simple grafting technique was very effective with regard to suppressing in vitro platelet adhesion on the silicon catheter surface.

Preparation of a chemically anchored phospholipid monolayer on an acrylated polymer substrate

This paper describes a strategy for designing a chemically anchored phospholipid monolayer that could be used as coating materials for biomedical implants. To make a chemically anchored phospholipid monolayer on the polymer substrate, we prepared the mono-acrylated phospholipid (1-palmitoyl-2-[12-(acryloyloxy)-dodecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; acryloyl-PC) and the acrylated polymer (poly(octadecylacrylate-co-4-acryloyloxy butylacrylate)), which was synthesized by the acrylation of poly(octadecyl acrylate-co-hydroxybutyl acrylate, poly(OA-co-HA)) with acryloyl chloride. The chemically anchored phospholipid monolayer was prepared by using in situ photopolymerization of a pre-assembled phospholipid monolayer, produced by lipid vesicle fusion, onto the acrylated polymer coated silicon wafer. Optimal condition of vesicle fusion and irradiation time was determined from the degree of hydrophilicity rendered by the polymerized phospholipid surface. The physicochemical properties of polymerized phospholipid monolayer on the substrate were evaluated using water contact angle, field-emission scanning electron micrograph (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These results confirmed that the polymerized phospholipid monolayer was chemically anchored on the acrylated polymer substrate. The chemically anchored phospholipid monolayer was stable in aqueous condition for 2 weeks, but the physically adsorbed phospholipid monolayer got removed within 1 day. Moreover, the polymerized phospholipid monolayer also suppressed albumin absorption and platelet adhesion, in vitro. This polymerized phospholipid monolayer provides a new biomimetic system for coating medical devises.

Combined study of X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy on a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer on a solid

We investigated the detailed structure of a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer, which was polymerized in situ onto a methacryloyl-silanized solid surface. By the combined study of X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy, the in situ polymerization step of the lipid molecules are sufficiently detailed to reveal the molecular structure of lipid molecules before and after in situ polymerization. From the data of the X-ray reflectivity, we confirmed that the in situ polymerization process produces a flat lipid monolayer structure and that the lipid monolayer is substantially grafted on a silanized surface by chemical bonding. After the polymerization and washing processes, the thickness of the head group was 9 angstroms and the thickness of the tail group was 21 angstroms. The surface morphology of the polymerized phospholipid monolayer obtained by the measurements of atomic force microscopy was consistent with the results of the X-ray reflectivity. The cross-sectional analysis shows that the surface coverage of lipid molecules, which are chemically grafted onto a silanized surface, is approximately 89%.

In situ photopolymerization of a polymerizable poly(ethylene glycol)-covered phospholipid monolayer on a methacryloyl-terminated substrate

We have prepared a chemically anchored monolayer of PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) and phospholipid mixture (PEG/phospholipid) on a methacryloyl-terminated substrate by in situ photopolymerization. Both monoacryloyl phospholipid (acryloyl-PC, 1-palmitoyl-2-[12-(acryloyloxy)dodecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and monoacryloyl PEG (acryloyl-PEG, 12-(acryloyloxy)dodecanoyl-PEG) were synthesized by modifyingphospholipid and PEGwith 12-(acryloyloxy)-1-dodecanoic acid and 12-(acryloyloxy)-1-dodecanol, respectively. The surface pressure-area (pi-A) isotherm showed that acryloyl-PEG molecules were stable in the phospholipid monolayer and that they could be evenly inserted into a phospholipid monolayer at the air/water interface. By adding 10 mol % acryloyl-PEG into phosholipid vesicles, we could produce a PEG/phosholipid monolayer on methacryloyl-terminated substrates using vesicle fusion for 3 h. Then, this polymerizable PEG/phospholipid monolayer was in situ photopolymerized onto a methacryloyl-terminated substrate with eosin Y/triethanolamine as co-initiators. Optimal vesicle fusion and irradiation condition were determined with respect to the vesicle fusion time and duration of irradiation. As confirmed by atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity studies, the polymerized PEG/phosholipid surface formed a PEG-covered phospholipid monolayer with thicknesses of 3 and 6 nm for the base phospholipid monolayer and the covering PEG layer, respectively. The chemical anchoring efficiency ofpolymerized PEG and phospholipid molecules, which was calculated by the relative carbon ratio of each surface before and after methanol washing using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, was 98%. This polymerized PEG/phosholipid monolayer showed good stability in organic solution due to firm chemical anchoring to a solid surface.

Biostability and biocompatibility of a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer on a solid substrate

We have previously demonstrated phosphorylcholine monolayer chemically grafted onto a methacryloyl-terminated solid substrate by in situ polymerization. The in situ polymerization was carried out at the interface between a pre-assembled acrylated phospholipid monolayer produced by vesicle fusion and a methacryloyl-terminated substrate using a water-soluble initiator, 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPD). Herein, we examined the biostability and biocompatibility of a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer (poly-PC) on a methacryloyl-terminated substrate using a "wash off' test, in vitro protein adsorption and in vivo cage implantation for time intervals of 4, 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. In order to compare the biostability and biocompatibility of phospholipid surfaces on solid substrates, we used two types of phospholipid surfaces: a physically adsorbed phospholipid monolayer (PC) and a poly-PC. Atomic force microscopy and water contact angle measurements indicated that the poly-PC surface was more stable in PBS, Triton X-100 and to EO gas sterilization than the PC surface. The adsorption of proteins such as albumin, fibrinogen, IgG and human plasma proteins on the poly-PC surfaces were significantly reduced, in vitro. Moreover, the poly-PC surface greatly reduced macrophage adhesion and the formation of foreign body giant cells, in vivo.