Synthesis and Hemocompatibilities of Cellulose-Containing Segmented Polyurethanes

Abstract

Novel segmented polyurethanes (SPUs) have been synthesized using hydrolyzed cellulose triacetate (HCTA) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) as diol component. By altering the molar ratio of HCTA to diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), a series of polymers having poly(butadiene) (PBD) diol soft segments and varying content of HCTA was prepared. Then the polymers were further deacetylated with NaOCH3/CH3OH. Viscosity measurements showed the polymers had the viscosity behavior of common polyelectrolytes. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and water contact angle measurements revealed that the cellulose is oriented on the surface of these materials. The hemocompatibility in vitro was evaluated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contact tests and viewed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using commercial BioSpan® and cellulose-free SPU as control samples. Platelet adhesion to cellulose-containing SPUs was inhibited by 30–75% compared with cellulose-free polyurethanes. Cell spreading was observed on the control SPUs but not on any of the other surfaces. The incorporation of cellulose into the SPUs backbone effectively reduced platelet adhesion and thus potentially could result in better hemocompatibility.