UV-induced graft copolymerization of monoacrylate-poly(ethylene glycol) onto poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) to reduce protein adsorption and platelet adhesion

Homogeneous solutions of poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) and the monoacrylate-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGMA) monomer in chloroform were irradiated with UV light to obtain PEGMA-grafted PHO (PEGMA-g-PHO) copolymers. Variables affecting the degree of grafting (DG), such as the time of UV irradiation and the concentrations of the PEGMA monomer and initiator, were investigated. The PEGMA-g-PHO copolymers were characterized by measuring the water contact angle, molecular weight, thermal transition temperatures and mechanical properties, as well as by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results from all of these measurements indicate that PEGMA groups were present on the PHO polymer. The protein adsorption and platelet adhesion on the PEGMA-g-PHO surfaces were examined using poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) surfaces as the control. The proteins and platelets had a significantly lower tendency to adhere to the PEGMA-g-PHO copolymers than to PLLA. The graft copolymer with a high DG of PEGMA was very effective in reducing the protein adsorption and platelet adhesion and did not activate the platelets. The results obtained in this study suggest that PEGMA-g-PHO copolymers have the potential to be used as blood-contacting devices in a broad range of biomedical applications.