—BIOCOMPATIBLE ASPECTS OF POLY(2-METHOXYETHYLACRYLATE) (PMEA)—THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMOUNT OF ADSORBED PROTEIN, ITS CONFORMATIONAL CHANGE, AND PLATELET ADHESION ON PMEA SURFACE

Abstract

Poly(2-methoxyethylacrylate) (PMEA) surface suppresses platelet adhesion and spreading when compared with other polymer surfaces. To clarify the reason, the relationship between the amount of the plasma protein adsorbed on PMEA, its secondary structure and platelet adhesion were investigated. Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) and polyacrylate analogous were used as references. The amount of the protein adsorbed on PMEA was very low and almost equal to that of PHEMA. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was applied to examine the changes in the secondary structure of the proteins, resulting from adsorption on the polymer surface. The conformation of the proteins adsorbed on PHEMA changed considerably, but that adsorbed on PMEA differed a little from the native one. These results suggest that low platelet adhesion and spreading have a close relation to the low degree of denaturation of the protein adsorbed on PMEA. PMEA is a promising material to produce for blood contacting surfaces for medical devices.