Cellulose-based polymeric liquid crystals as a biomimetic modifier for suppressing protein adsorption

Abstract

A novel biomimetic protein-resistant modifier based on cellulose-based polymeric liquid crystals was described (PLCs). Two types of PLCs of propyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester (PPC) and octyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester (OPC) were prepared by esterification from hydroxypropyl cellulose, and then were mixed with polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane to obtain composite films by solution casting, respectively. The surface morphology of PLCs and their composite films were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), suggesting the existence of microdomain separation with fingerprint texture in PLC composite films. Water contact angle measurement results indicated that hydrophilicity of PLC/polymer composite films was dependent on the type and content of PLC as well as the type of matrix due to their interaction. Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein, protein adsorption results revealed that PLCs with protein-resistant property can obviously suppress protein adsorption on their composite films, probably due to their flexible LC state. Moreover, all PLCs and their composites exhibited non-toxicity by MTT assay, suggesting their safety for biomedical applications.

Keywords

polymeric liquid crystals / cellulose / biomimetic / protein adsorption / biocompatibility

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