Antibiofouling polymer interfaces: poly(ethylene glycol) and other promising candidates

Nonspecific protein adsorption and/or microbial adsorption on biomedical materials adversely affects the efficacy of a range of biomedical systems, from implants and biosensors to nanoparticles. To address this problem, antibiofouling polymers can be coated on biomedical devices or built into nanopa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer chemistry 2015-01, Vol.6 (2), p.198-212
Main Authors: Lowe, Sean, O'Brien-Simpson, Neil M, Connal, Luke A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical materials
Devices
Glycols
Microorganisms
Nanoparticles
Nanostructure
Peptides
Surgical implants
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Summary:Nonspecific protein adsorption and/or microbial adsorption on biomedical materials adversely affects the efficacy of a range of biomedical systems, from implants and biosensors to nanoparticles. To address this problem, antibiofouling polymers can be coated on biomedical devices or built into nanoparticles to confer protein and/or microbial repellent properties. The current review provides an overview of the range of synthetic polymers currently used to this end and explores their biomedical potential. The most widely-used antifouling polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is reviewed alongside several promising alternatives, including zwitterionic polymers, poly(hydroxyfunctional acrylates), poly(2-oxazoline)s, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(glycerol), peptides and peptoids. For each material, notable applications for both nanomedicine and macroscopic surface coatings are highlighted. This review highlights antibiofouling polymer interfaces with emphasis on the latest developments using poly(ethylene glycol) and the design new polymeric structures.
ISSN:1759-9954
1759-9962
DOI:10.1039/c4py01356e