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Nanostructured biofunctionalized polyurethanes for applications in regenerative medicine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2012

Sebastian Kruss
Affiliation:
Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Tobias Wolfram
Affiliation:
Hochschule Furtwangen, Jakob-Kienzle-Str. 17, 78054 Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
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Abstract

Polyurethane (PU) materials are used in a wide variety of implantable devices and technologies, e.g. stents, breast augmentation, nose surgery and bladder reconstruction. Despite the excellent chemical control for manufacturing bulk materials and the good biocompatibility, a major challenge remains interfacing of PU with biological environments. A chemically controlled surface engineering approach could improve desired protein adsorption processes and cellular interactions within different tissues, preventing uncontrolled events of the implant especially in early stages shortly after surgical procedures.

To gain better control over the PU surfaces we polymerized different bulk PU materials and developed a transfer-nanolithography technique to deposit inorganic Au-nanoparticles with defined structural features on the PU surface. Different nanoparticle patterns were transferred and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Topographical features of PU substrates were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Transferred Au-nanoparticles showed high stability on PU substrates even under extreme sonication conditions. In a final step, those nanoparticles were functionalized with peptides to facilitate cellular adhesion under physiologically relevant conditions. As proof of concept, rat embryonic fibroblast cells were cultured on a peptide functionalized PU interface and investigated by SEM.

In conclusion, we developed a versatile method to prepare nanostructured and biofunctionalized PUs. These PUs showed good stability characteristics and in vitro biocompatibility in cell culture assays.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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