The linker-free covalent attachment of collagen to plasma immersion ion implantation treated polytetrafluoroethylene and subsequent cell-binding activity
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Abstract
It is desirable that polymers used for the fabrication of prosthetic implants promote
biological functions such as cellular adhesion, differentiation and viability. In
this study, we have used plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) to modify the surface
of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), thereby modulating the binding mechanism of collagen.
The amount of collagen bound to the polymer surface following PIII-treatment was similar
to that bound by non-covalent physisorption. In a manner consistent with previous
enzyme and tropoelastin binding data, the collagen bound to the PIII-treated PTFE
surface was resistant to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) elution whilst collagen bound
to the untreated surface was fully removed. This demonstrates the capability of PIII-treated
surfaces to covalently attach collagen without employing chemical linking molecules.
Only the collagen bound to the PIII-treated PTFE surface supported human dermal fibroblast
attachment and spreading. This indicates that collagen on the PIII-treated surface
possesses increased adhesive activity as compared to that on the untreated surface.
Cell adhesion was inhibited by EDTA when the collagen was bound to PIII-treated PTFE,
as expected for integrin involvement. Additionally this adhesion was sensitive to
the conformation of the bound collagen. Increased actin cytoskeletal assembly was
observed on cells spreading onto collagen-coated PIII-treated PTFE compared to the
collagen-coated untreated PTFE. These data demonstrate the retention of collagen's
biological properties following its attachment to PIII-treated PTFE, suggesting advantages
for tissue engineering and prosthetic design.