Protein/Material Interfaces: Investigation on Model Surfaces

Adhesion of mammalian cells is mediated by a protein layer adsorbed from biological fluids or the extracellular matrix. For bacteria, this 'conditioning film' also exerts an influence even if the membrane receptors are not the same. In fact, in the early stage of adhesion, whatever the surface considered, cells and bacteria are somehow in contact with proteins. These assumptions shed light on the role of protein/surface interface in the early stage of cell or bacteria adhesion. In this article, we will first review some of the techniques currently used for the analysis of such a bio-interface from a surface science point of view. Then, we will focus on the possibility to chemically model such a bio-interface. To achieve this goal and simplify the numerous interactions between a protein and cells, the biomolecule can be probed at different scales: amino acid, peptide and protein as a whole. We will examine how the surface chemistry can help to graft these fragments, what are the strategies to graft a huge molecule on a surface and what are the relevant parameters to realize a biomimetic surface, taking into account the modifications undergone by the surface during the sterilization step.