title: Carboxylic acid-functionalized conductive polypyrrole as a bioactive platform for cell adhesion.
abstract: Electroactive polymers such as polypyrrole (PPy) are highly attractive for a number of biomedical applications, including their use as coatings for electrodes or neural probes and as scaffolds to induce tissue regeneration. Surface modification of these materials with biological moieties is desired to enhance the biomaterial-tissue interface and to promote desired tissue responses. Here, we present the synthesis and physicochemical characterization of poly(1-(2-carboxyethyl)pyrrole) (PPyCOOH), a PPy derivative that contains a chemical group that can be easily modified with biological moieties at the N-position of the polymer backbone. FTIR, XPS, and fluorescence microscopy were used to demonstrate the successful incorporation of carboxylic acid (-COOH) functionality into PPy materials, and a four-point probe analysis was used to demonstrate electrical conductivity in the semiconductor range. Human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured on PPyCOOH films surface-modified with the cell-adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif demonstrated improved attachment and spreading. Thus, PPyCOOH could be useful in developing PPy composites that contain a variety of biological molecules as bioactive conducting platforms for specific biomedical purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. jwoonlee@mail.cm.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Joo-Woon
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serna
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nickels
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011108:Polymers; D011758:Pyrroles