Fibrinogen adsorption on polyurethanes with different surface-modifying end groups (SMEs) has been studied with sum-frequency-generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG). The results show very different protein adsorption properties for different SMEs on the same backbone polymer. Fibrinogen binds weakly on the hydrophilic backbone of a poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS)-modified polyurethane surface but leaves the hydrophobic PDMS part untouched. On sulfonate end-group-modified (SO(3(-) )) polyurethane surfaces, fibrinogen adsorbs well. However, on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-modified surfaces, it adsorbs poorly. The protein-resistant character of PEO is probably due to steric repulsion. This work demonstrates the utility of SFG in the study of protein adsorption on polymeric biomaterials at the molecular level and the ability of SMEs to mediate protein adsorption.
Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.