Protein adsorption on various plasma-treated polyethylene terephthalate substrates

Recek, Nina; Jaganjac, Morana; Kolar, Metod; Milković, Lidija; Mozetič, Miran; Stana-Kleinschek, Karin; Vesel, Alenka (2013) Protein adsorption on various plasma-treated polyethylene terephthalate substrates. Molecules, 18 (10). pp. 12441-12463. ISSN 1420-3049

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Official URL: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/18/10/12441

Abstract

Protein adhesion and cell response to plasma-treated polymer surfaces were studied. The polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was treated in either an oxygen plasma to make the surface hydrophilic, or a tetrafluoromethane CF4 plasma to make the surface hydrophobic. The plasma source was radiofrequency (RF) discharge. The adsorption of albumin and other proteins from a cell-culture medium onto these surfaces was studied using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cellular response to plasma-treated surfaces was studied as well using an MTT assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fastest adsorption rate was found on the hydrophilic oxygen plasma-treated sample, and the lowest was found on the pristine untreated sample. Additionally, the amount of adsorbed proteins was higher for the oxygen-plasma-treated surface, and the adsorbed layer was more viscoelastic. In addition, cell adhesion studies support this finding because the best cell adhesion was observed on oxygen-plasma-treated substrates.

Item Type:

Article

Uncontrolled Keywords:

oxygen and fluorine plasma treatment; polymer surface modification; protein adsorption; cell adhesion; quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)

Subjects:

NATURAL SCIENCES > Chemistry

Divisions:

Division of Molecular Medicine

Projects: