Protein adsorption: A quest for a universal mechanism

Phosphate-Driven Interfacial Self-Assembly of Silk Fibroin for Continuous Noncovalent Growth of Nanothin Defect-Free Coatings

Silk fibroin is a fiber-forming protein derived from the thread of Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons. This biocompatible protein, under the kosmotropic influence of potassium phosphate, can undergo supramolecular self-assembly driven by a random coil to β-sheet secondary structure transition. By leveraging concurrent nonspecific adsorption and self-assembly of silk fibroin, we demonstrate an interfacial phenomenon that yields adherent, defect-free nanothin protein coatings that grow continuously in time, without observable saturation in mass deposition. This noncovalent growth of silk fibroin coatings is a departure from traditionally studied protein adsorption phenomena, which generally yield adsorbed layers that saturate in mass with time and often do not completely cover the surface. Here, we explore the fundamental mechanisms of coating growth by examining the effects of coating solution parameters that promote or inhibit silk fibroin self-assembly. Results show a strong dependence of coating kinetics and structure on solution pH, salt species, and salt concentration. Moreover, coating growth was observed to occur in two stages: an early stage driven by protein-surface interactions and a late stage driven by protein-protein interactions. To describe this phenomenon, we developed a kinetic adsorption model with Langmuir-like behavior at early times and a constant steady-state growth rate at later times. Structural analysis by FTIR and photoinduced force microscopy show that small β-sheet-rich structures serve as anchoring sites for absorbing protein nanoaggregates, which is critical for coating formation. Additionally, β-sheets are preferentially located at the interface between protein nanoaggregates in the coating, suggesting their role in forming stable, robust coatings.

Protein Adsorption on Solid Surfaces: Data Mining, Database, Molecular Surface-Derived Properties, and Semiempirical Relationships

Protein adsorption on solid surfaces is a process relevant to biological, medical, industrial, and environmental applications. Despite this wide interest and advancement in measurement techniques, the complexity of protein adsorption has frustrated its accurate prediction. To address this challenge, here, data regarding protein adsorption reported in the last four decades was collected, checked for completeness and correctness, organized, and archived in an upgraded, freely accessible Biomolecular Adsorption Database, which is equivalent to a large-scale, ad hoc, crowd-sourced multifactorial experiment. The shape and physicochemical properties of the proteins present in the database were quantified on their molecular surfaces using an in-house program (ProMS) operating as an add-on to the PyMol software. Machine learning-based analysis indicated that protein adsorption on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces is modulated by different sets of operational, structural, and molecular surface-based physicochemical parameters. Separately, the adsorption data regarding four "benchmark" proteins, i.e., lysozyme, albumin, IgG, and fibrinogen, was processed by piecewise linear regression with the protein monolayer acting as breakpoint, using the linearization of the Langmuir isotherm formalism, resulting in semiempirical relationships predicting protein adsorption. These relationships, derived separately for hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, described well the protein concentration on the surface as a function of the protein concentration in solution, adsorbing surface contact angle, ionic strength, pH, and temperature of the carrying fluid, and the difference between pH and the isoelectric point of the protein. When applying the semiempirical relationships derived for benchmark proteins to two other "test" proteins with known PDB structure, i.e., β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin, the errors of this extrapolation were found to be in a linear relationship with the dissimilarity between the benchmark and the test proteins. The work presented here can be used for the estimation of operational parameters modulating protein adsorption for various applications such as diagnostic devices, pharmaceuticals, biomaterials, or the food industry.

Tuning Electrostatic Interactions To Control Orientation of GFP Protein Adsorption on Silica Surface

The adsorption of green fluorescent protein (GFP) on silica surfaces has been the subject of growing interest due to its potential applications in various fields, including biotechnology and biomedicine. In this study, we used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the charge-driven adsorption of wild type GFP and its supercharged variants on silica surfaces. The results showed that the positively charged variant of GFP adsorbed on the negatively charged silica surface with minimal loss in its secondary structure. Further studies were conducted to understand the role of surface charge distribution on two other positively charged variants of GFP, and the results showed that the orientation of GFP on silica can be easily tuned by careful mutations of the charged amino acid residues on the GFP. This study provides valuable molecular insights into the role of electrostatic-driven adsorption of GFP and highlights the importance of charge interactions in the adsorption process.

Quartz crystal microbalance in soft and biological interfaces

Applications of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation to studying soft and biological interfaces are reviewed. The focus is primarily on data analysis through viscoelastic modeling and a model-free approach focusing on the acoustic ratio. Current challenges and future research and development directions are discussed.

Interfacial Adsorption Controls Particle Formation in Antibody Formulations Subjected to Extensional Flows and Hydrodynamic Shear

During their manufacturing and delivery to patients, therapeutic proteins are commonly exposed to various interfaces and to hydrodynamic shear forces. Although adsorption of proteins to solid-liquid interfaces is known to foster formation of protein aggregates and particles, the impact of shear remains controversial, in part because of experimental challenges in separating the effects of shear from those caused by simultaneous exposure to interfaces. Extensional flows (occurring when solutions flow through sudden contractions) exert localized elongational forces that have been suspected to be damaging to proteins. In this work, we measured aggregation and particle formation in formulations of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies subjected to extensional flow, high shear (105 s-1) and exposure to stainless-steel/water interfaces. Modification of the surface charge at the stainless steel/water interface changed protein adsorption characteristics without altering shear profiles, enabling shear and interfacial interactions to be separated. Even under conditions where antibodies were subjected to high hydrodynamic shear and extensional flow, production of subvisible particles could be inhibited by modifying the stainless-steel surface charge to minimize antibody adsorption. Digital images of particles recorded by flow imaging microscopy (FIM) and analyzed with machine learning algorithms were consistent with a particle formation mechanism by which antibodies adsorb and aggregate at the stainless-steel/water interface and subsequently form particles when shear displaces the interfacial aggregates, transporting them into the bulk solution. Topographical differences measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) supported the proposed mechanism by showing reduced levels of protein adsorption on surface-charge-modified stainless-steel.

Fetuin-A adsorption to tunable polydimethylsiloxane and subsequent macrophage response

Surface modifications can be applied to biomaterials to alter the various surface properties that influence protein-material interactions and the cellular response. The plasma protein fetuin-A has been found to adsorb to many biomaterials but details of its interactions with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and roles in regulating the immune response are not clear. Here, PDMS modifications are achieved by altering the ratio of PDMS formulations to control elastic modulus, and by coating PDMS with polydopamine (PDA) to attach fetuin-A. Surface characterization confirmed that altering the PDMS formulation changed the elastic modulus without affecting surface wetting properties. Surface roughness was measured using atomic force microscopy and surface chemistry was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, with only minor changes detected on the softest samples. PDA deposition on PDMS was confirmed and contact angle measurements demonstrated an increase in hydrophilicity. Fetuin-A adsorption was influenced by the PDMS formulations, adsorption changed in a competitive plasma environment, and PDA was able to immobilize the greatest amount of fetuin-A. The inflammatory effects of fetuin-A were investigated, and data suggests that the elastic modulus influences cytokine secretion from macrophages at certain timepoints, a result likely due to varied protein amounts and orientations/conformations in response to material stiffness. The addition of a PDA layer demonstrated the potentially cytokine mitigating effect upon fetuin-A immobilization when compared to unmodified PDMS samples. The results provide new insight into the interactions of fetuin-A with PDMS and PDA, and the potential immune regulatory properties of fetuin-A modified materials.

Covalent and Non-covalent In-Flow Biofunctionalization for Capture Assays on Silicon Chips: White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy Immunosensor Combined with TOF-SIMS Resolves Immobilization Stability and Binding Stoichiometry

Immunosensors that combine planar transducers with microfluidics to achieve in-flow biofunctionalization and assay were analyzed here regarding surface binding capacity, immobilization stability, binding stoichiometry, and amount and orientation of surface-bound IgG antibodies. Two IgG immobilization schemes, by physical adsorption [3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)] and glutaraldehyde covalent coupling (APTES/GA), followed by blocking with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and streptavidin (STR) capture, are monitored with white light reflectance spectroscopy (WLRS) sensors as thickness d_Γ of the adlayer formed on top of aminosilanized silicon chips. Multi-protein surface composition (IgG, BSA, and STR) is determined by time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) combined with principal component analysis (applying barycentric coordinates to the score plot). In-flow immobilization shows at least 1.7 times higher surface binding capacity than static adsorption. In contrast to physical immobilization, which is unstable during blocking with BSA, chemisorbed antibodies desorb (reducing d_Γ) only when the bilayer is formed. Also, TOF-SIMS data show that IgG molecules are partially exchanged with BSA on APTES but not on APTES/GA modified chips. This is confirmed by the WLRS data that show different binding stoichiometry between the two immobilization schemes for the direct binding IgG/anti-IgG assay. The identical binding stoichiometry for STR capture results from partial replacement with BSA of vertically aligned antibodies on APTES, with fraction of exposed Fab domains higher than on APTES/GA.

Physicochemical Nature of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Binding to Human Vimentin

Vimentin, a protein that builds part of the cytoskeleton and is involved in many aspects of cellular function, was recently identified as a cell surface attachment site for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The present study investigated the physicochemical nature of the binding between the SARS-CoV-2 S1 glycoprotein receptor binding domain (S1 RBD) and human vimentin using atomic force microscopy and a quartz crystal microbalance. The molecular interactions of S1 RBD and vimentin proteins were quantified using vimentin monolayers attached to the cleaved mica or a gold microbalance sensor as well as in its native extracellular form present on the live cell surface. The presence of specific interactions between vimentin and S1 RBD was also confirmed using in silico studies. This work provides new evidence that cell-surface vimentin (CSV) functions as a site for SARS-CoV-2 virus attachment and is involved in the pathogenesis of Covid-19, providing a potential target for therapeutic countermeasures.

A Sequential Electrospinning of a Coaxial and Blending Process for Creating Double-Layer Hybrid Films to Sense Glucose

This study presents a glucose biosensor based on electrospun core-sheath nanofibers. Two types of film were fabricated using different electrospinning procedures. Film F1 was composed solely of core-sheath nanofibers fabricated using a modified coaxial electrospinning process. Film F2 was a double-layer hybrid film fabricated through a sequential electrospinning and blending process. The bottom layer of F2 comprised core-sheath nanofibers fabricated using a modified process, in which pure polymethacrylate type A (Eudragit L100) was used as the core section and water-soluble lignin (WSL) and phenol were loaded as the sheath section. The top layer of F2 contained glucose oxidase (GOx) and gold nanoparticles, which were distributed throughout the polyvinylpyrrolidone K90 (PVP K90) nanofibers through a single-fluid blending electrospinning process. The study investigated the sequential electrospinning process in detail. The experimental results demonstrated that the F2 hybrid film had a higher degradation efficiency of β-D-glucose than F1, reaching a maximum of over 70% after 12 h within the concentration range of 10-40 mmol/L. The hybrid film F2 is used for colorimetric sensing of β-D-glucose in the range of 1-15 mmol/L. The solution exhibited a color that deepened gradually with an increase in β-D-glucose concentration. Electrospinning is flexible in creating structures for bio-cascade reactions, and the double-layer hybrid film can provide a simple template for developing other sensing nanomaterials.

Controlled Temporal Release of Serum Albumin Immobilized on Gold Nanoparticles

Proteins adsorbed to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) form bioconjugates and are critical to many emerging technologies for drug delivery, diagnostics, therapies, and other biomedical applications. A thorough understanding of the interaction between the immobilized protein and AuNP is essential for the bioconjugate to perform as designed. Here, we explore a correlation between the number of solvent-accessible thiol groups on a protein and the protein desorption rate from the AuNP surface in the presence of a competing protein. The chemical modification of human serum albumin (HSA) was carried out to install additional free thiols using Traut's reagent and create a library of HSA analogues by tailoring the molar excess of the Traut's reagent. We pre-adsorbed HSA variants onto the AuNP surface, and the resulting bioconjugates were then exposed to IgG antibody, and protein exchange was monitored as a function of time. We found that the rate of HSA displacement from the AuNP correlated with the experimentally measured number of accessible free thiol groups. Additionally, bioconjugates were synthesized using thiolated analogues of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and suspended in serum as a model for a complex sample matrix. Similarly, desorption rates with serum proteins were modulated with solvent-accessible thiols on the immobilized protein. These results further highlight the key role of Au-S bonds in the formation of protein-AuNP conjugates and provide a pathway to systematically control the number of free thiols on a protein, enabling the controlled release of protein from the surface of AuNP.

Protein Desorption Kinetics Depends on the Timescale of Observation

The presence of so-called reversible and irreversible protein adsorption on solid surfaces is well documented in the literature and represents the basis for the development of nanoparticles and implant materials to control interactions in physiological environments. Here, using a series of complementary single-molecule tracking approaches appropriate for different timescales, we show that protein desorption kinetics is much more complex than the traditional reversible-irreversible binary picture. Instead, we find that the surface residence time distribution of adsorbed proteins transitions from power law to exponential behavior when measured over a large range of timescales (10^-2-10⁶ s). A comparison with macroscopic results obtained using a quartz crystal microbalance suggested that macroscopic measurements have generally failed to observe such nonequilibrium phenomena because they are obscured by ensemble-averaging effects. These findings provide new insights into the complex phenomena associated with protein adsorption and desorption.

Protein release from nanocellulose and alginate hydrogels: The study of adsorption and desorption kinetics

This work presents a study of the lysozyme release from crosslinked TEMPO nanocellulose (TOCNF) and alginate (ALG) hydrogels in a medium with different ionic strength and temperature. The main objective is to develop a mathematical model for a detailed study of the concurrent action of diffusion mechanism and adsorption/desorption kinetics. Model fit parameters provide important information about the initial (maximum) adsorption rate and its deceleration with increasing ionic strength of the release medium. Similarly, the initial (minimum) desorption rate and its acceleration with increasing salt concentration can be determined. The model leads us to the conclusion that the initial adsorption rate is higher in the case of TOCNF, but due to fewer electrostatic interactions and morphology as well as topography of the surface, it decreases to a negligible value much faster than in the case of ALG, where the diffusion process becomes dominant.

Nanoparticle and bioparticle deposition kinetics

Mechanisms and kinetic of particle deposition at solid surfaces leading to the formation of self-assembled layers of controlled structure and density were reviewed. In the first part theoretical aspects were briefly discussed, comprising limiting analytical solutions for the linear transport under flow and diffusion. Methods of the deposition kinetics analysis for non-linear regimes affected by surface blocking were also considered. Characteristic monolayer formation times under diffusion and flow for the nanoparticle size range were calculated. In the second part illustrative experimental results obtained for micro- and nanoparticles were discussed. Deposition at planar substrates was analyzed with emphasis focused on the stability of layers and the release kinetics of silver particles. Applicability of the quartz microbalance measurements (QCM) for quantitative studies of nanoparticle deposition kinetic was also discussed. Except for noble metal and polymer particles, representative results for virus deposition at abiotic surfaces were analyzed. Final part of the review was devoted to nanoparticle corona formation at polymer carrier particles investigated by combination of the concentration depletion, AFM, SEM and the in situ electrokinetic method. It is argued that the results obtained for colloid particles can be used as reliable reference systems for interpretation of protein and other bioparticle deposition, confirming the thesis that simple is universal.

Evaluation of noble metal nanostructure-serum albumin interactions in 2D and 3D systems: Thermodynamics and possible mechanisms

In this review, we clearly highlight the importance of the detailed study of the interactions between noble metal colloids (nanoparticles (NPs) and nanoclusters (NCs)) with serum albumins (SAs) due to their rapidly growing presence in biomedical research. Besides the changes in the structure and optical property of SA, we demonstrate that the characteristic localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) feature of the colloidal noble metal NPs and the size- and structure-dependent photoluminescence (PL) property of the sub-nanometer sized NCs are also altered differently because of the interactions between them. Namely, for plasmonic NPs - SA interactions the PL quenching of SA (mainly static) is identified, while the SA cause PL enhancement of the ultra-small NCs after complexation. This review summarizes that the thermodynamic nature and the possible mechanisms of the binding processes are dependent partly on the size, morphology, and type of the noble metals, while the chemical structure as well as the charge of the stabilizing ligands have the most dominant effect on the change in optical features. In addition to the thermodynamic data and proposed binding mechanisms provided by three-dimensional spectroscopic techniques, the quantitative and real-time data of "quasi" two-dimensional sensor apparatus should also be considered to provide a comprehensive evaluation on many aspects of the particle/cluster - SA interactions.

Proteins Adsorbing onto Surface-Modified Nanoparticles: Effect of Surface Curvature, pH, and the Interplay of Polymers and Proteins Acid-Base Equilibrium

Protein adsorption onto nanomaterials is a process of vital significance and it is commonly controlled by functionalizing their surface with polymers. The efficiency of this strategy depends on the design parameters of the nanoconstruct. Although significant amount of work has been carried out on planar surfaces modified with different types of polymers, studies investigating the role of surface curvature are not as abundant. Here, we present a comprehensive and systematic study of the protein adsorption process, analyzing the effect of curvature and morphology, the grafting of polymer mixtures, the type of monomer (neutral, acidic, basic), the proteins in solution, and the conditions of the solution. The theoretical approach we employed is based on a molecular theory that allows to explicitly consider the acid-base reactions of the amino acids in the proteins and the monomers on the surface. The calculations showed that surface curvature modulates the molecular organization in space, but key variables are the bulk pH and salt concentration (in the millimolar range). When grafting the NP with acidic or basic polymers, the surface coating could disfavor or promote adsorption, depending on the solution's conditions. When NPs are in contact with protein mixtures in solution, a nontrivial competitive adsorption process is observed. The calculations reflect the balance between molecular organization and chemical state of polymers and proteins, and how it is modulated by the curvature of the underlying surface.

Spontaneous desorption of protein from self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-coated gold nanoparticles induced by high temperature

The nonspecific binding of proteins with nanomaterials (NMs) is a dynamic reversible process including both protein adsorption and desorption parts, which is crucial for controlled release of protein drug loaded by nanocarriers. The nonspecific binding of proteins is susceptible to high temperature, whereas its underlying mechanism still remains elusive. Here, the binding behavior of human serum albumin (HSA) with an amino-terminated self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-coated gold (111) surface was investigated by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. HSA binds to the SAM surface through salt bridges at 300 K. As the temperature increases to 350 K, HSA maintains its native structure, while the salt bridges largely diminish owing to the considerable lateral diffusion of HSA on the SAM. Moreover, the interfacial water located between HSA and the SAM gets increased and prevents the reformation of the salt bridges of HSA with the SAM, which reduces the binding affinity of HSA. And HSA eventually desorbs from the SAM. The depiction of thermally induced spontaneous protein desorption enriches our understanding of reversible binding behavior of protein with NMs, and may provide new insights into the controlled release of protein drugs delivered by using nanocarriers under the regulation of high temperature.

Late stage of the formation of a protein corona around nanoparticles in biofluids

In biofluids containing various proteins, nanoparticles rapidly come to be surrounded by a nanometer-thick protein layer referred to as a protein corona. The late stage of this process occurs via replacement of proteins already bound to a nanoparticle by new ones. In the available kinetic models, this process is considered to include independent acts of protein detachment and attachment. It can, however, occur also at the level of protein pairs via exchange, i.e., concerted replacement of an attached protein by a newly arrived one. I argue that the exchange channel can be more important than the conventional one. To illustrate the likely specifics of the exchange channel, I present a kinetic model focused exclusively on this channel and based on the Evans-Polanyi-type relation between the activation energies of the protein-exchange steps and the protein binding energies. The corresponding kinetics were calculated for three qualitatively different distributions of proteins in solution over binding energy (with a maximum or monotonously decreasing or increasing, respectively) and are found to be similar, with relatively rapid replacement of weakly bound proteins and slow redistribution of strongly bound proteins. The ratio of the timescales characterizing the evolution of weakly and strongly bound proteins is found to depend on the type of the binding-energy distribution.

SARS-CoV-2 virion physicochemical characteristics pertinent to abiotic substrate attachment

The structure, size, and main physicochemical characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 virion with the spike transmembrane protein corona were discussed. Using these data, diffusion coefficients of the virion in aqueous media and in air were calculated. The structure and dimensions of the spike protein derived from molecular dynamic modeling and thorough cryo-electron microscopy measurements were also analyzed. The charge distribution over the molecule was calculated and shown to be largely heterogeneous. Although the stalk part is negatively charged, the top part of the spike molecule, especially the receptor binding domain, remains positively charged for a broad range of pH. It is underlined that such a charge distribution promotes the spike corona stability and enhances the virion attachment to receptors and surfaces, mostly negatively charged. The review is completed by the analysis of experimental data pertinent to the spike protein adsorption at abiotic surfaces comprising nanoparticle carrier particles. It is argued that these theoretical and experimental data can be used for developing quantitative models of virus attachment to surfaces, facilitating adequate analysis of future experimental results.

Adsorption Behavior of Arabinogalactan-Proteins (AGPs) from Acacia senegal Gum at a Solid-Liquid Interface

Adsorption of five different hyperbranched arabinogalactan-protein (AGP) fractions from Acacia senegal gum was thoroughly studied at the solid-liquid interface using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The impact of the protein/sugar ratio, molecular weight, and aggregation state on the adsorption capacity was investigated by studying AGP fractions with different structural and biochemical features. Adsorption on a solid surface would be primarily driven by the protein moiety of the AGPs through hydrophobic forces and electrostatic interactions. Increasing ionic strength allows the decrease in electrostatic repulsions and, therefore, the formation of high-coverage films with aggregates on the surface. However, the maximum adsorption capacity was not reached by fractions with a higher protein content but by a fraction that contains an average protein quantity and presents a high content of high-molecular-weight AGPs. The results of this thorough study highlighted that the AGP surface adsorption process would depend not only on the protein moiety and high-molecular-weight AGP content but also on other parameters such as the structural accessibility of proteins, the molecular weight distribution, and the AGP flexibility, allowing structural rearrangements on the surface and spreading to form a viscoelastic film.

Formation of Myoglobin Corona at Polymer Microparticles

Adsorption of myoglobin molecules at negatively charged polystyrene microparticles was studied using the dynamic light scattering (DLS), electrophoresis (LDV) and the solution depletion method involving atomic force microscopy (AFM). The measurements were carried out at pH 3.5 and NaCl concentration of 10−2 and 0.15 M. Initially, the stability of myoglobin solutions and the particle suspensions as a function of pH were determined. Afterward, the formation of myoglobin molecule corona was investigated via the direct electrophoretic mobility measurements, which were converted to the zeta potential. The experimental results were quantitatively interpreted in terms of the general electrokinetic model. This approach yielded the myoglobin corona coverage under in situ conditions. The maximum hard corona coverage was determined using the AFM concentration depletion method. It was equal to 0.9 mg m−2 for the NaCl concentration in the range 0.01 to 0.15 M and pH 3.5. The electrokinetic properties of the corona were investigated using the electrophoretic mobility measurements for a broad pH range. The obtained results confirmed that thorough physicochemical characteristics of myoglobin molecules can be acquired using nM amounts of the protein. It was also argued that this method can be used for performing electrokinetic characteristics of other proteins such as the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein exhibiting, analogously to myoglobin, a positive charge at acidic pHs.

Mechanism of Myoglobin Molecule Adsorption on Silica: QCM, OWLS and AFM Investigations

Adsorption kinetics of myoglobin on silica was investigated using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and the optical waveguide light-mode spectroscopy (OWLS). Measurements were carried out for the NaCl concentration of 0.01 M and 0.15 M. A quantitative analysis of the kinetic adsorption and desorption runs acquired from QCM allowed to determine the maximum coverage of irreversibly bound myoglobin molecules. At a pH of 3.5-4 this was equal to 0.60 mg m^-2 and 1.3 mg m^-2 for a NaCl concentration of 0.01 M and 0.15 M, respectively, which agrees with the OWLS measurements. The latter value corresponds to the closely packed monolayer of molecules predicted from the random sequential adsorption approach. The fraction of reversibly bound protein molecules and their biding energy were also determined. It is observed that at larger pHs, the myoglobin adsorption kinetics was much slower. This behavior was attributed to the vanishing net charge that decreased the binding energy of molecules with the substrate. These results can be exploited to develop procedures for preparing myoglobin layers at silica substrates of well-controlled coverage useful for biosensing purposes.

Titanium and Protein Adsorption: An Overview of Mechanisms and Effects of Surface Features

Titanium and its alloys, specially Ti6Al4V, are among the most employed materials in orthopedic and dental implants. Cells response and osseointegration of implant devices are strongly dependent on the body-biomaterial interface zone. This interface is mainly defined by proteins: They adsorb immediately after implantation from blood and biological fluids, forming a layer on implant surfaces. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to understand which features of biomaterials surfaces influence formation of the protein layer and how to guide it. In this paper, relevant literature of the last 15 years about protein adsorption on titanium-based materials is reviewed. How the surface characteristics affect protein adsorption is investigated, aiming to provide an as comprehensive a picture as possible of adsorption mechanisms and type of chemical bonding with the surface, as well as of the characterization techniques effectively applied to model and real implant surfaces. Surface free energy, charge, microroughness, and hydroxylation degree have been found to be the main surface parameters to affect the amount of adsorbed proteins. On the other hand, the conformation of adsorbed proteins is mainly dictated by the protein structure, surface topography at the nano-scale, and exposed functional groups. Protein adsorption on titanium surfaces still needs further clarification, in particular concerning adsorption from complex protein solutions. In addition, characterization techniques to investigate and compare the different aspects of protein adsorption on different surfaces (in terms of roughness and chemistry) shall be developed.

Label-free monitoring of immuno-specific interactions of adsorbed multilayer of proteins

Protein-protein interactions in adsorbed multilayer of an immuno-specific system of proteins that include staphylococcal protein A (SpA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), anti-chicken immunoglobulin Y (ac-IgG), chicken serum IgG (cs-IgG), and rabbit serum IgG (rs-IgG) on polystyrene (PS) were studied using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A systematic analysis allowed a direct qualitative and quantitative determination of protein interactions at each step of specific and nonspecific binding conditions at the molecular level. The study also provided information about (1) the adsorption behavior of the proteins, (2) the role of SpA in enabling correct orientation of the adsorbed IgG and maintaining the stability of the adsorbed SpA/ac-IgG system on the PS surface, (3) the function of BSA as both blocking reagent and promoter of specific and selective binding, and (4) the bioactivity conserved accommodation of SpA molecules on the PS surface. Furthermore, the unique characteristics of cs-IgG such as passive toward SpA adsorption and exposure of the multivalence state at nonspecific binding conditions was revealed spectroscopically. The present investigation provides a platform for further extension of the adopted methodology to a more complex system of immuno-detection for highly sensitive and rapid diagnostics.

Dynamics of long-term protein aggregation on low-fouling surfaces

Understanding the mechanisms of protein interactions with solid surfaces is critical to predict how proteins affect the performance of materials in biological environments. Low-fouling and ultra-low fouling surfaces are often evaluated in short-term protein adsorption experiments, where 'short-term' is defined as the time required to reach an initial apparent or pseudo-equilibrium, which is usually less than 600 s. However, it has long been recognized that these short-term observations fail to predict protein adsorption behavior in the long-term, characterized by irreversible accumulation of protein on the surface. This important long-term behavior is frequently ignored or attributed to slow changes in surface chemistry over time-such as oxidation-often with little or no experimental evidence. Here, we report experiments measuring protein adsorption on "low-fouling" and "ultralow-fouling" surfaces using single-molecule localization microscopy to directly probe protein adsorption and desorption. The experiments detect protein adsorption for thousands of seconds, enabling direct observation of both short-term (reversible adsorption) and long-term (irreversible adsorption leading to accumulation) protein-surface interactions. By bridging the gap between these two time scales in a single experiment, this work enables us to develop a single mathematical model that predicts behavior in both temporal regimes. The experimental data in combination with the resulting model provide several important insights: (1) short-term measurements of protein adsorption using ensemble-averaging methods may not be sufficient for designing antifouling materials; (2) all investigated surfaces eventually foul when in long-term contact with protein solutions; (3) fouling can occur through surface-induced oligomerization of proteins which may be a distinct step from irreversible adsorption; and (4) surfaces can be designed to reduce oligomerization or the adsorption of oligomers, to prevent or delay fouling.

Theoretical and Experimental Optimization of the Graft Density of Functionalized Anti-Biofouling Surfaces by Cationic Brushes

Diseases and complications related to catheter materials are severe problems in biomedical material applications, increasing the infection risk and medical expenses. Therefore, there is an enormous demand for catheter materials with antibacterial and antifouling properties. Considering this, in this work, we developed an approach of constructing antibacterial surfaces on polyurethane (PU) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). A variety of cationic polymers were grafted on PU. The biocompatibility and antifouling properties of all resulting materials were evaluated and compared. We also used a theoretical algorithm to investigate the anticoagulant mechanism of our PU-based grafts. The hemocompatibility and anti-biofouling performance improved at a 86–112 μg/cm² grafting density. The theoretical simulation demonstrated that the in vivo anti-fouling performance and optimal biocompatibility of our PU-based materials could be achieved at a 20% grafting degree. We also discuss the mechanism responsible for the hemocompatibility of the cationic brushes fabricated in this work. The results reported in this paper provide insights and novel ideas on material design for applications related to medical catheters.

Myoglobin molecule charging in electrolyte solutions

The compensated charge of myoglobin molecule in electrolyte solution is considerably smaller than the nominal charge.

Protein adsorption dynamics to polymer surfaces revisited-A multisystems approach

Performance and safety of materials in contact with living matter are determined by sequential and competitive protein adsorption. However, cause and consequences of these processes remain hard to be generalized and predicted. In a new attempt to address that challenge, the authors compared and analyzed the protein adsorption and displacement on various thoroughly characterized polymer substrates using a combination of surface-sensitive techniques. A multiple linear regression approach was applied to model the dependence of protein adsorption, desorption, and exchange dynamics on protein and surface characteristics. While the analysis confirmed that protein properties primarily govern the observed adsorption and retention phenomena and hydrophobicity as well as surface charge are the most relevant polymer surface properties, the authors have identified several protein-surface combinations that deviate from these patterns and deserve further investigation.