Polyethylene Glycol Film Research Articles

Long-term stability of grafted polyethylene glycol surfaces for use with microstamped substrates in neuronal cell culture

Crucial to long-term stability of neuronal micropatterns is functional retention of the underlying substratum while exposed to cell culture conditions. We report on the ability of covalently bound PEG films in long-term cell culture to continually retard protein adhesion and cell growth. PDMS microstamps were used to create poly-d-lysine (PDL) substrates permissive to cell attachment and growth, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) substrates were used to minimize protein and cell adhesion. Film thickness was measured using null ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Organosilane film structure was examined using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Long-term film stability in cell culture conditions was tested by immersion in 0.1 m sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.4 for up to one month. Null ellipsometry and water contact measurements indicated that organosilane films were stable up to one month, whereas the PEG film thickness declined rapidly after day 25. Hippocampal cells plated at 200 cells/mm 2 on uniform PEG substrates gave a steady increase in biofilm thickness on PEG films throughout the culture, possibly from proteins of neuronal origin. We found that all the layers in the cross-linking procedure were stable in cell culture conditions, with the exception of PEG, which degraded after day 25.

Blending thermoplastic polyurethanes and poly(ethylene oxide) for composite electrolytes via a mixture design approach

With the aim of obtaining proper composite electrolytes, a systematic modeling analysis for the percentage increase in weight due to swelling with respect to swollen weight, Sw, and the room temperature conductivity (σ25) of the composite films of polyethylene glycol based thermoplastic polyurethane/polytetramethylene glycol based thermoplastic polyurethane/polyethylene oxide [denoted as TPU(PEG)/TPU(PTMG)/PEO] was performed. Using a mixture design approach, empirical models are fitted and plotted as contour diagrams which facilitate revealing the synergistic/antagonistic effects among the mixed polymers. The contour plot results show that both the maximum Sw (64.9%) and the maximum σ25 (72.2 × 10−5 S cm−1) appear at point X3 (PEO 85%, TPU(PEG) 15%). The results are reasonably explained from the interactions among polymers on the basis of their molecular structures. The thermal analysis of the composite films is performed to demonstrate the speculations about the interactions among the mixed polymers by using differential scanning calorimeter. The crystallization of PEO spherulites at different compositions was examined by using a polarizing microscope. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 680–692, 2000

A Glandular Gift in the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae): The Courtship Feeding of a Female on Secretions from Male Tergal Glands

In the courtship behavior of the German cockroach, the male presents tergal glands to the female and feeds her with glandular secretions to place her in the appropriate precopulatory position. The phagostimulant activity of the secretions was quantitatively examined using the polyethylene glycol film method. The methanol extract of the glands on the eighth tergite induced a potent feeding response in 6-day-old virgin females (EC 50 = 0.0037 male equivalent/40 μg PEG spot). However, there was no temporal relation between the feeding response and the sexual receptivity of the females. Moreover, besides virgin females, the extract induced a feeding response in gravid or mated females, males, and the last-instar nymphs. These results strongly suggest that the secretions function as a dietary feeding stimulant in principle but as a courtship pheromone in the context of courtship behavior where the stimulants are offered as a nuptial gift.

Prevention of Retrosternal Adhesion Formation in a Rabbit Model Using Bioresorbable Films of Polyethylene Glycol and Polylactic Acid

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of three bioresorbable films of polyethylene glycol (EO) and polylactic acid (LA) (EO/LA = 1.5, 2.5, and 3.0) in the prevention of adhesion formation between the epicardium and the sternum (retrosternal adhesions) in a rabbit model. Retrosternal adhesions were generated by sternotomy, pericardiotomy, and abrasion of the anterior epicardium. The adhesion barrier was placed between the epicardium and the sternum and sutured to the edge of the pericardium. Epicardial adhesions were evaluated 14–20 days later by assessing the area of the epicardium covered by adhesions. In the control rabbits, tenacious adhesions were observed between sternum and the central portion of epicardium (portion exposed through the pericardiotomy) which were difficult to dissect. When a bioresorbable film was placed over the pericardium, adhesion formation at the central strip of the epicardium (area between the sternum and the epicardium exposed through the pericardium) could be reduced or prevented. At this site, the areas of adhesion formation were 0% (EO/LA = 1.5), 8.4 ± 2.8% (EO/LA = 2.5), and 5.6 ± 4.7% (EO/LA = 3.0) of the central strip, significantly less than that observed in the control group, 78.0 ± 5.8% (P< 0.01). At the anterior left and right and posterior apex of the heart (sites where the film was not placed), there were no differences between control and treatment groups. The films were completely resorbed at the time of necropsy in group EO/LA = 2.5 and 3.0. Small pieces of film were observed in group EO/LA = 1.5. In conclusion, the bioresorbable films [EO/LA = 1.5 (REPEL-CV), 2.5, or 3.0] were efficacious in the reduction of retrosternal adhesions to the epicardium.

Polyethylene Glycol Film Method : A Test for Feeding Stimulants of the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

A polyethylene glycol (PEG)film method was developed to evaluate the activity of cockroach feeding stimulants. A droplet of aqueous methanol or methanol solution of test material containing PEG was placed on a glass plate to form a spot of PEG film. After exposure to a test insect, mandibular scratches on the film were examined under microscopic observation. The response was recorded as the percentage of marked films. A probit analysis of the concentration/response relation evaluated the EC50 and relative potency of each compound. Assays were conducted on adults of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), satiated with food and water. For compounds showing little or no activity, sterved insects were subjected to assays as well. Sugars and related compounds were active, whereas aliphatic alcohols, fatty acids and esters showed less activities. The active compounds were classified into five groups according to the regression coefficients. Maltose was the most active, showing an EC50 at 7.5 and 4.7 μmol/g PEG to female and male adults, respectively.

Molecular Vibrations and Structure of High Polymers. III. Polarized Infrared Spectra, Normal Vibrations, and Helical Conformation of Polyethylene Glycol

The polarized infrared spectra of highly oriented crystalline films of polyethylene glycol were measured in the region 3500–400 cm—1. Five parallel bands and eleven perpendicular bands due to the fundamental vibrations were observed in the region 1500–600 cm—1. From the analysis of these bands, the polyethylene glycol chain was found to belong to the dihedral group and have twofold axes intersecting the helix axis at right angles. The structural models of polyethylene glycol were discussed by the use of the equations for the helical parameters (the second paper of this series). The most likely model (TGT) contains seven repeating units and two helical turns per fiber period of 19.25 Å. The internal rotation angles for this model are calculated to be 60° for the C–C bond and 191.5° for the C–O bond. The A1, A2, and E(θ) normal vibrations of polyethylene glycol were calculated by the general method for treating helical polymers (the first paper of this series). The normal vibrations of p-dioxane were also calculated. The modified Urey—Bradley force field was used for the calculations and the potential constants were transferred from polyethylene, dimethyl ether, and propyl alcohol. The frequencies calculated for the TGT model agreed well with the observed frequencies. The potential energy distributions were also calculated and the nature of the infrared bands was elucidated. The far-infrared spectra of crystalline films were also measured in the region 600–50 cm—1 and two parallel bands and two perpendicular bands were observed. The skeletal normal vibrations of the TGT model were also calculated, taking into account the torsional potential field. The torsional constants correspond to a potential barrier of 3 kcal/mole. The calculated frequencies agreed well with the observed, providing substantial support for the TGT model. The infrared bands in the region of 3000 cm—1 were assigned to the C–H stretching modes and the infrared active combination vibrations.