title: Hydrophilic surface modification of acrylate-based biomaterials.
abstract: Acrylic polymers have proved to be excellent with regard to cell adhesion, colonization and survival, in vitro and in vivo. Highly ordered and regular pore structures thereof can be produced with the help of polyamide templates, which are removed with nitric acid. This treatment converts a fraction of the ethyl acrylate side groups into acrylic acid, turning poly(ethyl acrylate) scaffolds into a more hydrophilic and pH-sensitive substrate, while its good biological performance remains intact. To quantify the extent of such a modification, and be able to characterize the degree of hydrophilicity of poly(ethyl acrylate), poly(ethyl acrylate) was treated with acid for different times (four, nine and 17 days), and compared with poly(acrylic acid) and a 90/10%wt. EA/AAc copolymer (P(EA-co-AAc)). The biological performance was also assessed for samples immersed in acid up to four days and the copolymer, and it was found that the incorporation of acidic units on the material surface was not prejudicial for cells. This surface modification of 3D porous hydrophobic scaffolds makes easier the wetting with culture medium and aqueous solutions in general, and thus represents an advantage in the manageability of the scaffolds.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arnal-Pastor
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Comín-Cebrián
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martínez-Ramos
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monleón Pradas
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain avalles@ter.upv.es.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vallés-Lluch
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D051379:Mice; D017942:Nitric Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D000180:Acrylic Resins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; C478961:poly(ethylacrylate); D017942:Nitric Acid; C006903:carbopol 940; C040833:ethyl acrylate; C036658:acrylic acid
keywords: Scaffold; acrylic acid; ethyl acrylate; nitric acid; surface modification