Anti-inflammatory and Antibacterial Effects of Covalently Attached Biomembrane-Mimic Polymer Grafts on Gore-Tex Implants

Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), also known as Gore-Tex, is widely used as an implantable biomaterial in biomedical applications because of its favorable mechanical properties and biochemical inertness. However, infection and inflammation are two major complications with ePTFE implantations, because pathogenic bacteria can inhabit the microsized pores, without clearance by host immune cells, and the limited biocompatibility can induce foreign body reactions. To minimize these complications, we covalently grafted a biomembrane-mimic polymer, poly(2-methacryloyloxylethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC), by partial defluorination followed by UV-induced polymerization with cross-linkers on the ePTFE surface. PMPC grafting greatly reduced serum protein adsorption as well as fibroblast adhesion on the ePTFE surface. Moreover, the PMPC-grafted ePTFE surface exhibited a dramatic inhibition of the adhesion and growth of Staphylococcus aureus, a typical pathogenic bacterium in ePTFE implants, in the porous network. On the basis of an analysis of immune cells and inflammation-related factors, i.e., transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), we confirmed that inflammation was efficiently alleviated in tissues around PMPC-grafted ePTFE plates implanted in the backs of rats. Covalent PMPC may be an effective strategy for promoting anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions in ePTFE implants and to reduce side effects in biomedical applications of ePTFE.