title: Comparative assessment of the stability of nonfouling poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) and poly(ethylene glycol) surface films: an in vitro cell culture study.
abstract: Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been the most frequently reported and commercially used polymer for surface coatings to convey nonfouling properties. PEGylated surfaces are known to exhibit limited chemical stability, particularly due to oxidative degradation, which limits long-term applications. In view of excellent anti-adhesive properties in the brush conformation and resistance to oxidative degradation, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOXA) has been proposed recently as an alternative to PEG. In this study, the authors systematically compare the (bio)chemical stability of PEG- and PMOXA-based polymer brush monolayer thin films when exposed to cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs). To this end, the authors used cell-adhesive protein micropatterns in a background of the nonfouling PEG and PMOXA brushes, respectively, and monitored the outgrowth of HUVECs and HFFs for up to 21 days and 1.5 months. Our results demonstrate that cellular micropatterns spaced by PMOXA brushes are significantly more stable under serum containing cell culture conditions in terms of confinement of cells to the adhesive patterns, when compared to corresponding micropatterns generated by PEG brushes. Moreover, homogeneous PEG and PMOXA-based brush monolayers on Nb2O5 surfaces were investigated after immersion in endothelial cell medium using ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: BioInterface Group, Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: BioInterface Group, Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bidhari
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pidhatika
authors.affiliation: Cells and Biomaterials, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Erlach
authors.affiliation: BioInterface Group, Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Konradi
authors.affiliation: BioInterface Group, Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Textor
authors.affiliation: Cells and Biomaterials, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Cells and Biomaterials, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tessa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lühmann
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000378:metabolism*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D011073:Polyamines; C117403:poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline); D011092:Polyethylene Glycols