Hydrogel lenses functionalized with polysaccharide for reduction of protein adsorption

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of a series of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA)-based hydrogel lenses functionalized with polysaccharides are described. The functionalization of hydrogels with hyaluronic acid and alginic acid was performed by construction of an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure consisting of HEMA-backbones and polysaccharide networks. The surface protein adsorption, water content, optical transparency, and surface properties of the hydrogels were investigated. The hydrogels exhibited transmittance of over 90% and water content of over 50%. Notably, the amount of protein adsorbed on the polysaccharide-modified hydrogels decreased by more than 50% as compared to that in the case of the control hydrogel. These results suggest that hydrogels modified with polysaccharide may offer intriguing potential for ophthalmic biomaterials as well as protein resistant coating materials. Open image in new window