Design and characterization of PEGylated terpolymer biomaterials

A terpolymer copolymerized from hexyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) was synthesized. Polymers containing 0-25 mol % PEGMA were studied. As the mole fraction of PEGMA in the polymer chains increased, the material becomes more hydrophilic as observed by a decrease in the contact angle of water (81 degrees-68 degrees) and an increase in the equilibrium water absorption (0.7-237 wt %). Furthermore, the material shows nonfouling interfacial properties through resistance to protein adsorption and cellular attachment. A total of 1.2 mu g/cm(2) fibrinogen, 18,000 HUVECs/cm(2), and 3,000,000 platelets/cm(2) adsorbed or adhered on non-PEGylated materials, whereas very low amounts of protein or cells were observed on materials containing >= 15 mol % PEGMA. Being thermoplastic, the polymer can be processed postsynthesis. To illustrate the processing capabilities of the material, polymer solutions were electrospun into nonwoven fibrous scaffold, which also retained their nonfouling character. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 94A: 1294-1302, 2010.