Fibronectin adsorption on polystyrene sulfonate-grafted polyester using atomic force microscope

Cell adhesion and growth over prostheses are strongly influenced by the adsorption and conformation of adhesive proteins from blood and extracellular matrix, such as fibronectin. This key behavior can be possibly exploited to develop a prosthetic ligament based on the surface bioactivation of biodegradable materials. In this work, surface functionalization was performed by grafting poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) on polyethylene terephthalate and polycaprolactone using a thermal surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization grafting technique. The morphology and mechanical properties of the adsorbed fibronectin in the presence of albumin were studied by atomic force microscopy. The morphology of fibronectin on two kinds of polyester surfaces was similar. However, the study results showed a remarkable conformation change of fibronectin when adsorbed onto the nongrafted or grafted surface, leading to an increase in cell adhesion and organization in the second case. This research provided evidence of the relationship between the morphology change of fibronectin to the enhancement of the cell adhesion and spreading on the grafted surface of polyester.