Abstract
A quartz crystal microbalance was used for real-time monitoring of fibrinogen cross-linking on three model biomaterial surfaces. Fibrinogen adsorbs slowly and forms a less rigid multi-layer on hydrophobic surfaces, while it adsorbs quickly, forming a single mono-layer on hydrophilic surfaces. The extent of fibrinogen cross-linking is greater on hydrophobic surfaces. Fibrinogen cross-linking can also rigidify the relatively soft coatings of poly(methyl methacrylate) and dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayer.
Highlights
Whenever a biomaterial comes into contact with blood, wound healing begins to occur
Two polished gold crystals were cleaned of contamination through sonication for ten minutes followed by rinsing with deionized water
Two separate types of clotting information can be assessed through the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements, namely, the amount of clotting proteins that adsorb onto a surface through f of the crystal, and the extent of subsequent thrombin-induced cross-linking that will occur on the surface through analysis of R of the crystal [11]
Summary
Whenever a biomaterial comes into contact with blood, wound healing begins to occur. The first stage of this wound healing is blood coagulation, as the protein fibrinogen is adsorbed and cross-linked into a fibrin polymer, forming a clot [1]. The current method of choice for monitoring immobilized proteins in their binding activities is surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy [2]; the initial equipment and replacement chips are relatively expensive, and the surfaces of the chips are somewhat difficult to modify [3] It is inappropriate for monitoring blood coagulation, which is primarily an issue of structural change, rather than an issue of adsorption/adhesion [1]. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is considered to be a better alternative over SPR for monitoring blood coagulation, as the QCM is relatively inexpensive, and the surfaces of the crystals are modified, for example, through spin coating This method makes it possible to monitor the amount of fibrinogen adsorbed onto a given surface, and subsequently monitor the rate of fibrin polymerization (clot formation) through analysis of the changes in frequency and resistance of the piezoelectric quartz crystal over time, while in contact with the final proteins of the blood coagulation cascade
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