Glycocalyx Adsorption Enhances Biocompatibility of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)

Abstract

A major goal of modern biocompatibility is to identify factors which will inhibit the attachment of various cell types to implanted prosthetic devices. The glycocalyx of mammalian cells is a loosely defined network of lipids, proteoglycans and proteins which forms the outer layer of mammalian cells. Components of the glycocalyx are known to mediate cell adhesion and are an obvious area of interest in the development of biocompatible coatings. This report describes the development of an assay system capable of evaluating the effects of single glycocalyx components on mammalian cell attachment and the correlation of those effects with the changes observed in the dynamic contact angles of the test surfaces. The data suggest that physical-chemical and biological tests have the potential to be used in tandem in the development of more biocompatible implants.