Poly HEMA Research Articles

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)—collagen composites which promote muscle cell differentiation in vitro

A new simple method has been developed which allows the mixing of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) — polyHEMA — and fibrillar collagen in any desired ratio. Poly HEMA alone was shown to be an unsuitable cultivation substrate for primary cultures of chicken embryonic skeletal muscle cells. Composites containing polyHEMA and 50% (w/w) or more collagen supported myogenesis. Such layers, firmly adhered to the bottom of plastic Petri dishes, were mechanically stable and biologically active, thus favourably combining properties of both the original materials. It is suggested that polyHEMA-collagen composite layers may be used for cultivation of differentiating cells in vitro.

The characteristics of anticoagulation by covalently immobilized heparin.

The reactions of covalently immobilized heparin, abbreviated as I-Hep, with thrombin or Factor Xa were investigated both in the presence and absence of antithrombin III, AT III. Although I-Hep was able to bind to thrombin, the complex formation of thrombin and I-Hep did not affect the thrombin activity when measured by using a small artificial substrate, a peptide-MCA. Similarly, Factor Xa bound to I-Hep, but the activity of Factor Xa was not decreased in the absence of AT III, when a peptide-MCA was used for Factor Xa assay. Thrombin bound to I-Hep in much larger amounts than Factor Xa. Thrombin and Factor Xa were instantaneously inhibited by AT III in the presence of soluble heparin. However, when I-Hep was used instead of soluble heparin, instantaneous inhibition was not observed. When a natural, high-molecular-weight substrate was used for assay, the results were dependent on the structure of the immobilization carrier. Heparin immobilized on Sepharose 4B or Poly HEMA showed considerable prolongation of plasma recalcification time. However, heparin immobilized on the surface of PVA fiber did not prolong plasma recalcification time.

Reactions of human platelets with microspheres of poly(hydroxymethyl methacrylate) and polyacrylamide

We have studied the contact interaction of platelets with hydrogels. In the form of microspheres, 0.6-1.0 mu, poly(glycol methacrylate) (polyHEMA) and poly(methyl methacrylate) beads cause platelets to aggregate at concentrations of about 10(8) beads/ml. Polyacrylamide and (20/80) poly(acrylamide-HEMA) copolymer were ineffective in aggregating platelets. The admixture of 20% methacrylate to polyHEMA rendered the beads inactive. Blood plasma components other than fibrinogen were found essential to the interaction of the beads with platelets. Near-infrared spectra of the hydrogels polyacrylamide and polyHEMA showed the water hydrogen bonds to be the same for both and different from those in pure water. The monomer HEMA is an inhibitor of platelet aggregation and the release reaction at levels of 0.1%. It is concluded that the two hydrogels have different blood compatibilities, which depend more on the network structures than the water structures in the respective gels.