title: Modification of silicone elastomer with zwitterionic silane for durable antifouling properties.
abstract: Biofouling on medical devices generally causes adverse complications, such as thrombosis, infection, and pathogenic calcification. Silicone is a widely used material for medical applications. Its surface modification typically encounters undesirable "hydrophobic recovery", leading to deterioration of surface engineering. In this study, we developed a stable superhydrophilic zwitterionic interface on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer by covalent silanization of sulfobetaine silane (SBSi) to resist nonspecific adsorption of bacteria, proteins, and lipids. SBSi is a zwitterionic organosilane assembly, enabling resisting surface reconstruction by forming a cross-linked network and polar segregation. Surface elemental composition was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the long-term stability of modification was accessed using a contact angle goniometer. The biofouling tests were carried out by exposing substrates to bacterial, protein, and lipid solutions, revealing the excellent bioinertness of SBSi-tailored PDMS, even after 30 day storage in ambient. For the real-world application, we modified commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lenses with developed zwitterionic silane, presenting its antibacterial adhesion property. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of SBSi was accessed with NIH-3T3 fibroblast by the MTT assay, showing negligible cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 5 mM. Consequently, the strategy of surface engineering in this work can effectively retard the "hydrophobic recovery" occurrence and can be applied to other silicone-based medical devices in a facile way.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, ‡Institute of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, and §Chemical & Materials Engineering Department, National Central University , Jhong-Li, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shiou-Bang
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Chien-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Yih
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chun-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D057219:Biofouling / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005347:Fibroblasts; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D012821:Silanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D011506:Proteins; D012821:Silanes; D012826:Silicone Elastomers