Grafting of PEO via the Williamson Ether Synthesis onto Polymeric Surfaces and Their Affinity for Proteins

Abstract

Surface grafting of poly(ethylene oxides) (PEO or polyethylene glycols) is a commonly used technique where minimal protein-surface interaction is desired. Several chemical methods are known to produce these surfaces, which include photolinking with an azido-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG)¹, esterification of hydroxyls on cellulose surfaces using a carboxylic acid-terminated PEG², and reaction of unmodified PEG with surfaces containing isocyanate groups ^3,4. All of the above methods utilize or introduce a functional group that is foreign to PEO or the substrate. A method which avoids the introduction of a new linking group is the glow discharge plasma deposition of PEO precursors (glymes) on a variety of materials⁵. This process has been shown to increase wettability and render the surface resistant to protein adsorption and cellular attachment. Recently, it was shown that polyethylene glycols can be alkylated with halogenated derivatives of various structures using a strong base in the absence of solvent⁶. The current study focuses on linking PEG alkoxide salts via one ether bond native to the PEO structure onto three halogenated surfaces, namely, polyvinylidene chloride (Saran^®), brominated polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephtalate (PET) (Williamson ether synthesis). The surfaces of all materials were characterized by contact angle and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The adsorption of a murine monoclonal antibody (Mab), human IgG, albumin, and fibrinogen to grafted and unmodified surfaces was evaluated.

Tables and figures copyrighted by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research © 1996, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.