Surface modification of polyhydroxyalkanoate films and their interaction with human fibroblasts

A poly(3-hydroxybutylate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHA) film containing 34 mol.% 3-hydroxyvalerate (Biopol D600P) was prepared by the solvent cast method using a 10 wt.% chloroform solution of PHA. The PHA film was exposed to an oxygen plasma glow discharge to produce peroxides on its surfaces. These peroxides were then used as catalysts for the polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in order to prepare carboxyl group-introduced PHA (PHA-C). Insulin-immobilized PHA was prepared using the coupling reaction of PU-C with insulin. The surface-modified PHAs were then characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, and a contact angle goniometer. The amounts of insulin directly coupled to the carboxyl groups on PHA-C and coupled to the terminus amino groups of the grafted polyethylene oxide were 2.9 and 0.8 μg cm −2, respectively. The PHA water contact angle (75°) decreased with AA grafting (33°) and insulin immobilization (31°), thereby exhibiting the increased hydrophilicity of the modified PHAs. When compared with PHA and PHA-C, the proliferation of human fibroblasts in the presence of serum was significantly accelerated on the insulin-immobilized PHAs.