Nano- and Micropatterned Polycaprolactone Cellulose Composite Surfaces with Tunable Protein Adsorption, Fibrin Clot Formation, and Endothelial Cellular Response

Tamilselvan Mohan*, Chandran Nagaraj, Bence M. Nagy, Matej Bračič, Uroš Maver, Andrea Olschewski, Karin Stana Kleinschek, Rupert Kargl

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This work describes the interaction of the human blood plasma proteins albumin, fibrinogen, and ?-globulins with micro- and nanopatterned polymer interfaces. Protein adsorption studies were correlated with the fibrin clotting time of human blood plasma and with the growth of primary human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (hECs) on these patterns. It was observed that blends of polycaprolactone (PCL) and trimethylsilyl-protected cellulose form various thin-film patterns during spin coating, depending on the mass ratio of the polymers in the spinning solutions. Vapor-phase acid-catalyzed deprotection preserves these patterns but yields interfaces that are composed of hydrophilic cellulose domains enclosed by hydrophobic PCL. The blood plasma proteins are repelled by the cellulose domains, allowing for a suggested selective protein deposition on the PCL domains. An inverse proportional correlation is observed between the amount of cellulose present in the films and the mass of irreversibly adsorbed proteins. This results in significantly increased fibrin clotting times and lower masses of deposited clots on cellulose-containing films as revealed by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation measurements. Cell viability of hECs grown on these surfaces was directly correlated with higher protein adsorption and faster clot formation. The results show that presented patterned polymer composite surfaces allow for a controllable blood plasma protein coagulation and a significant biological response from hECs. It is proposed that this knowledge can be utilized in regenerative medicine, cell cultures, and artificial vascular grafts by a careful choice of polymers and patterns.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2327-2337
Number of pages11
JournalBiomacromolecules
Volume20
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Jun 2019
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomaterials
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Nano- and Micropatterned Polycaprolactone Cellulose Composite Surfaces with Tunable Protein Adsorption, Fibrin Clot Formation, and Endothelial Cellular Response'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this