Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
functionalized by SO
3
-
and/or COO
-
groups was tested
in vitro
and
in
vivo
and showed catalytic activity toward the inhibition reaction of
thrombin by antithrombin, analogous to that of heparin (i.e.
acceleration of the speed of the inhibition reaction of thrombin by
antithrombin). The updated mechanism showed that the catalytic
activity of the internal surface of the tubular materials was due
to a specific adsorption of antithrombin on this “heparin-like”
functionalized surface, depending on an antithrombin conformation
such that it led to the formation of “thrombin-antithrombin”
complexes which could be quantitatively and specifically desorbed by
antithrombin from circulating plasmatic antithrombin [MIG 88a,
MIG 88b, MIG 88c, CAI 88]. These initial works highlighted the
importance of the control of surface chemistry and the choice of
functional groups for directing the
in vitro
and
in vivo
biological
response.
Works have continued in this area in order to identify, propose and
demonstrate the concept of “bioactive” functionalized polymers. With
this aim, we synthesized polymers [BEL 00, HEL 02] that have been
qualified as “model polymers” since they allow us to understand the
origin and the mechanism of the observed biological activities and
link them to synthesized macromolecular structures.
Since 2000, the concept of “bioactive polymer” has been extended
to polymer or metallic prosthetic surfaces in order to elaborate
implantable “bioactive” surfaces. We have established radical grafting
techniques which allow for the radical polymerization of “bioactive”
homo and co polymers - exhibiting different biological activities
directly onto the surface of already commercialized prosthesis
surfaces: synthetic ligament (collaboration with the Lars society - Arc
sur Tille, France) and total hip prosthesis (collaboration with the
Ceraver society - Roissy en France, France).
Several works on “bioactive” polymers and “bioactive” prosthetic
surfaces are summarized in the rest of this chapter.
