Improved blood compatibility of segmented polyurethane by polymeric additives having phospholipid polar group. II. Dispersion state of the polymeric additive and protein adsorption on the surface.

To improve the blood compatibility of a segmented polyurethane (SPU), phospholipid polymer, i.e., 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) copolymerized with cyclohexyl methacrylate or 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, was blended into SPU as a polymeric additive. The blending was achieved by a solvent-evaporation technique from a homogeneous solution containing both the SPU and the MPC polymer. Surface analysis of the SPU membrane blended with the MPC polymer (SPU/MPC polymer membrane) revealed that the MPC polymer was concentrated at the surface of the SPU membrane which contacted the substrate, Teflon, compared with that which contacted air during the membrane-formation period. The dispersion state of the MPC polymer in the SPU membrane was evaluated in detail by staining the MPC unit with osmium tetraoxide. When sonication was applied during preparation of the mixed solution containing SPU and the MPC polymer, the dispersion of the MPC polymer in the SPU membrane was different from that without sonication. That is, the size of the domains of the MPC polymer became smaller but the number of the domains increased. The amount of the MPC polymer mixed with SPU affected the dispersion state. Plasma proteins adsorbed on the SPU/MPC polymer membrane surface after contact with human plasma were detected by gold-colloid-labeled immunoassay. Both albumin and fibrinogen were observed on the SPU membrane; however, the amount of these proteins was reduced on the SPU/MPC polymer membrane. Thus it was concluded that the blood compatibility of the SPU was effectively improved by the blending of the MPC polymer.