Differential Adhesive and Bioactive Properties of the Polymeric Surface Coated with Graphene Oxide Thin Film

Abstract

Surface engineering of implantable devices involving polymeric biomaterials has become an essential aspect for medical implants. A surface enhancement technique can provide an array of unique surface properties that improve its biocompatibility and functionality as an implant. Polyurethane-based implants that have found extensively acclaimed usage as an implant in biomedical applications, especially in the area of cardiovascular devices, still lack any mechanism to ward off bacterial or platelet adhesion. To bring out such a defense mechanism we are proposing a surface modification technique. Graphene oxide (GO) in very thin film form was wrapped onto the electrospun fibroporous polycarbonate urethane (PCU) membrane (GOPCU) by a simple method of electrospraying. In the present study, we have developed a simple single-step method for coating a polymeric substrate with a thin GO film and evaluated the novel antiadhesive activity of these films. SEM micrographs after coating showed the presence of very thin GO films over the PCU membrane. On the GOPCU surface, the contact angle was shifted by ∼30°, making the hydrophobic PCU surface slightly hydrophilic, while Raman spectral characterization and mapping showed the presence and distribution of GO over 75% of the membrane. A reduced platelet adhesion on the GOPCU surface was observed; meanwhile, bacterial adhesion also got reduced by 85% for Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive, cocci) and 64% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram negative, bacilli). A cell adhesion study conducted using mammalian fibroblast cells projected its proliferation percentage in a MTT assay, with 82% cell survival on PCU and 86% on GOPCU after 24 h culture, while a study for an extended period of 72 h showed 87% of survival on PCU and 88% on GOPCU. This plethora of functionalities by a simple modification technique makes thin GO films a self-sufficient surface engineering material for future biomedical applications.