Anti-inflammatory properties of triblock siloxane copolymer-blended materials.
Implantable biomaterials often trigger a variety of adverse responses. Because polydimethyl siloxane surfaces have good hemo- and bio-compatibility, it is generally believed that surface biocompatibility may be improved by modifying biomaterial surfaces with silicone-like properties. For this, we developed a series of polycaprolactone-polydimethylsiloxane-polycaprolactone (PDMS-PCL) copolymers. By mixing the substrate material--polyvinyl chloride--with low concentrations (1.2 and 2.4%) of the PDMS-PCL copolymer, we generated materials with silicone-like surface properties as reflected by increased surface silicon content and surface contact angles. We assessed the biocompatibility of these surfaces in vitro and found that the addition of PDMS-PCL significantly reduced the percentages of surface-'denatured' fibrinogen, a critical element of genesis of many adverse responses to implanted biomaterials. Indeed, using an animal implantation model, we find that PDMS-PCL-blended materials triggered significantly weaker inflammatory responses than did polyvinyl chloride, the substrate control. The results from these experiments suggest that the use of PDMS-PCL additives (2.4%) in polymer blends is a useful means of camouflaging the substrate surface properties and improving the biocompatibility of biomaterials.
Tang
L
L
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ltang@neo.bcm.tmc.edu
Sheu
M S
MS
Chu
T
T
Huang
Y H
YH
D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012212:Rheology; D013499:Surface Properties
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers; D005340:Fibrinogen