Piezoelectric 3-D Fibrous Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-Based Scaffolds Ultrasound-Mineralized with Calcium Carbonate for Bone Tissue Engineering: Inorganic Phase Formation, Osteoblast Cell Adhesion, and Proliferation.

Elaboration of novel biocomposites providing simultaneously both biodegradability and stimulated bone tissue repair is essential for regenerative medicine. In particular, piezoelectric biocomposites are attractive because of a possibility to electrically stimulate cell response. In the present study, novel CaCO3-mineralized piezoelectric biodegradable scaffolds based on two polymers, poly[( R)3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) and poly[3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate] (PHBV), are presented. Mineralization of the scaffold surface is carried out by the in situ synthesis of CaCO3 in the vaterite and calcite polymorphs using ultrasound (U/S). Comparative characterization of PHB and PHBV scaffolds demonstrated an impact of the porosity and surface charge on the mineralization in a dynamic mechanical system, as no essential distinction was observed in wettability, structure, and surface chemical compositions. A significantly higher (4.3 times) piezoelectric charge and a higher porosity (∼15%) lead to a more homogenous CaCO3 growth in 3-D fibrous structures and result in a two times higher relative mass increase for PHB scaffolds compared to that for PHBV. This also increases the local ion concentration incurred upon mineralization under U/S-generated dynamic mechanical conditions. The modification of the wettability for PHB and PHBV scaffolds from hydrophobic (nonmineralized fibers) to superhydrophilic (mineralized fibers) led to a pronounced apatite-forming behavior of scaffolds in a simulated body fluid. In turn, this results in the formation of a dense monolayer of well-distributed and proliferated osteoblast cells along the fibers. CaCO3-mineralized PHBV surfaces had a higher osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation assigned to a higher amount of CaCO3 on the surface compared to that on PHB scaffolds, as incurred from micro-computed tomography (µCT). Importantly, a cell viability study confirmed biocompatibility of all the scaffolds. Thus, hybrid biocomposites based on the piezoelectric PHB polymers represent an effective scaffold platform functionalized by an inorganic phase and stimulating the growth of the bone tissue.

Surface wettability and energy effects on the biological performance of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate films treated with RF plasma.

The surface properties of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) membranes were modified using oxygen and an ammonia radio-frequency (RF, 13.56 MHz) plasma. The plasma treatment procedures used in the study only affected the surface properties, including surface topography, without inducing any significant changes in the crystalline structure of the polymer, with the exception being a power level of 250 W. The wettability of the modified P3HB surfaces was significantly increased after the plasma treatment, irrespective of the treatment procedure used. It was revealed that both surface chemistry and surface roughness changes caused by the plasma treatment affected surface wettability. A treatment-induced surface aging effect was observed and resulted in an increase in the water contact angle and a decrease in the surface free energy. However, the difference in the water contact angle between the polymers that had been treated for 4 weeks and the untreated polymer surfaces was still significant. A dependence between cell adhesion and proliferation and the polar component of the surface energy was revealed. The increase in the polar component after the ammonia plasma modification significantly increased cell adhesion and proliferation on biodegradable polymer surfaces compared to the untreated P3HB and the P3HB modified using an oxygen plasma.

Effect of membrane hydrophilization on ultrafiltration performance for biomolecules separation.

This paper compares the performance of different hydrophilization methods to prepare low fouling ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. The methods include post-modification with hydrophilic polymer and blending of hydrophilic agent during either conventional or reactive phase separation (PS). The post-modification was done by photograft copolymerization of water-soluble monomer, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA), onto a commercial polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane. Hydrophilization via blend polymer membrane with hydrophilic additive was performed using non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). In reactive PS method, the cast membrane was UV-irradiated before coagulation. The resulting membrane characteristic, the performance and hydrophilization stability were systematically compared. The investigated membrane characteristics include surface hydrophilicity (by contact angle /CA/), surface chemistry (by FTIR spectroscopy), and surface morphology (by scanning electron microscopy). The membrane performance was examined by investigation of adsorptive fouling and ultrafiltration using solution of protein or polysaccharide or humic acid. The results suggest that all methods could increase the hydrophilicity of the membrane yielding less fouling. Post-modification decreased CA from 44.8±4.2o to 37.8±4.2o to 42.5±4.3o depending on the degree of grafting (DG). The hydrophilization via polymer blend decreased CA from from 65o to 54o for PEG concentration of 5%. Nevertheless, decreasing hydraulic permeability was observed after post-modification as well as during polymer blend modification. Stability examination showed that there was leaching out of modifier agent from the membrane matrix prepared via conventional PS after 10days soaking in both water and NaOH. Reactive PS could increase the stability of the modifier agent in membrane matrix.

Simultaneous determination of the micro-, meso-, and macropore size fractions of porous polymers by a combined use of Fourier transform near-infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy and multivariate techniques.

Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) diffuse reflection spectroscopy was used in combination with principal component analysis and partial least-squares regression to simultaneously determine the physical and the chemical parameters of a porous poly(p-methylstyrene-co-1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) (MS/BVPE) monolithic polymer. Chemical variations during the synthesis of the polymer material can alter the pore volume and pore area distributions within the polymer scaffold. Furthermore, mid-infrared and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic chemical imaging was implemented as a tool to assess the uniformity of the samples. The presented study summarizes the comparative results derived from the spectral FT-NIR data combined with chemometric techniques. The relevance of the interrelation of physical and chemical parameters is highlighted whereas the amount of MS/BVPE (%, v/v) and the quantity (%) of micropores (diameter, d < 6 nm), mesopores (6 nm < d < 50 nm), and macropores (50 nm < d < 200 nm) could be determined with one measurement. For comparison of the quantitative data, the standard error of prediction (SEP) was used. The SEP for determining the MS/BVPE amount in the samples showed 0.35%, for pore volume quantiles 1.42-8.44%, and for pore area quantiles 0.38-1.45%, respectively. The implication of these results is that FT-NIR spectroscopy is a suitable technique for the screening of samples with varying physicochemical properties and to quantitatively determine the parameters simultaneously within a few seconds.

Thin layer molecularly imprinted microfiltration membranes by photofunctionalization using a coated alpha-cleavage photoinitiator.

A novel approach towards thin-layer molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) composite membranes was developed based on using benzoin ethyl ether (BEE), a very efficient alpha-scission photoinitiator. The triazine herbicide desmetryn was used as the template, and a mixture of the functional monomer 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and the cross-linker N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAA) in methanol was copolymerised via photoinitiation followed by deposition on the surface of either hydrophobic or hydrophilically precoated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes. Blanks were prepared under identical conditions, but without the template. Especially, the degree of functionalization (DF) of the PVDF membranes with poly(AMPS-co-MBAA), the membrane permeabilities and non-specific vs. MIP-specific template binding from aqueous solutions during fast filtration were studied in detail to evaluate the effects of the preparation conditions, in particular the coating of the membrane surface with the photoinitiator prior to UV irradiation and the influence of the precoated hydrophilic layer on PVDF. Significant template specificities of the MIP membranes compared with the blanks were only achieved for the preparations including coating the two types of PVDF membranes with BEE. In contrast, a homogeneous photoinitiation of the copolymerisation in the membrane pore volume yielded functional layers with similar DF but with only non-specific desmetryn binding. All data clearly indicate the significant contribution of MIP stabilization by the support material in layers of optimum thickness to the MIP specificity. Main advantages of the novel approach are the potential to synthesize MIP composite membranes by controlled deposition onto any kind of polymer support, and the very fast MIP preparations due to a very efficient photoinitiator and small MIP layer thickness. Due to the mechanical and chemical stability in combination with high permeabilities, thin-layer MIP composite membranes have a large application potential, e.g., in solid phase extraction.

Molecularly imprinted polymer membranes for substance-selective solid-phase extraction from water by surface photo-grafting polymerization.

Hydrophilized polyvinylidene fluoride microfiltration membranes were surface-modified in the presence of a template (terbumeton) in methanol with a graft copolymer of a functional monomer (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid, AMPS, methacrylic acid, MAA, or acrylic acid, AA) and a cross-linker (N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide) using UV irradiation and benzophenone as photoinitiator. As result, membranes covered with a thin layer of imprinted polymer selective to terbumeton were obtained. Blank membranes were prepared with the same monomer composition, but in the absence of the template. The membranes' capacity to adsorb terbumetone from aqueous solution was evaluated yielding information regarding the effect of polymer synthesis (type and concentration of functional monomer, concentration of cross-linker) on the resulting membranes' recognition properties. UV spectroscopic studies of the interactions with terbumetone revealed that AMPS forms a stronger complex than MAA and AA. In agreement with that finding, imprinting with AMPS gave higher affinities than with MAA and AA. The terbumeton-imprinted membranes showed significantly higher sorption capability to this herbicide than to similar compounds (atrazine, desmetryn, metribuzine). With the novel surface modification technology, the low non-specific binding properties of the hydrophilized microfiltration membrane could successfully be combined with the receptor properties of molecular imprints, yielding substance-specific molecularly imprinted polymer composite membranes. The high affinity of these synthetic affinity membranes to triazine herbicides together with their straightforward and inexpensive preparation provides a good basis for the development of applications of imprinted polymers in separation processes such as solid-phase extraction.

Modulating the biocompatibility of polymer surfaces with poly(ethylene glycol): effect of fibronectin.

A novel approach described earlier for improving polymer substratum biocompatibility(1) is further elucidated. Polysulfone (PSf) spin-coating films were modified by covalent end-on grafting of hydrophilic and sterically demanding photo-reactive poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugates (ABMPEG; 10 kDa). The degree of grafting density was varied systematically, yielding a wide spectrum of attained surface characteristics monitored by air-water contact angles (captive bubble method). Fibronectin (FN) adsorption was studied by in situ ellipsometry and found to decrease monotonically as ABMPEG grafting density increased. The adhesive interaction of human skin fibroblasts with these substrata and, in particular, the effect of FN precoating were investigated in detail. A clear optimum of cell-substratum interactions was found for mildly modified substrata, employing well established microscopic and immunofluorescence techniques, namely the monitoring of cell adhesion and spreading, overall cell morphology, organization of FN receptors, and focal adhesions as well as FN matrix formation. The results suggest that cell interactions with hydrophobic polymer substrata are enhanced considerably when modified with hydrophilic and sterically demanding PEG moieties at a low surface coverage due to enhanced biologic activity of adsorbed and intercalated adhesive proteins such as FN.

Ultrafiltration membrane surfaces with grafted polymer 'tentacles': preparation, characterization and application for covalent protein binding.

Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes from polysulfone (PSf) were functionalized by heterogeneous photo-initiated graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA). With radiation susceptible PSf, only proper selection of the UV energy (lambda > 350 nm; for selective excitation of the photoinitiator) yielded membranes with preserved UF barrier layer. Possibilities for adjusting structure and morphology of the graft polymer (g-PAA) layer by variation of functionalization parameters such as AA concentration and UV irradiation time were investigated. Very long grafted chains (Mw > 10(5) g mol(-1)) at varied grafting density (GD = 0.01 ... 1.2 nmol cm(-2), relative to the outer surface area) were obtained. Partial penetration of the UF barrier layer by g-PAA was verified. Covalent immobilization of bovine serum albumin (BSA), gamma-globulin (gamma-Gl) and alkaline phosphatase (APh) was achieved by coupling with a water soluble carbodiimide. Bound BSA and gamma-Gl amounts were up to gamma = 10 microg cm(-2), for membranes accessible only from the outer surface thus not using the entire pore volume. Locally addressed covalent protein immobilization after photo-patterning the PSf surface could be visualized with a fluorescent FITC-BSA conjugate. A strong salt effect onto immobilized APh activity (increase with NaCl concentration) was observed, indicating internal transport/accessibility limitations in the g-PAA layer. Correlations between PAA structure (Mw, GD) and accessibility (from BSA or gamma-G1 binding and APh activity) could be established. The 'tentacle' g-PAA functionalized PSf UF membranes having preserved UF barrier and, e.g., with surface-bound receptors will find application in cell cultures under diffusion or perfusion conditions.