Immobilization of Lactobionic Acid on Polyurethane Films and Their Interaction with Hepatocytes

Polyurethanes containing z-Iysine segments in the main chain (PULL) were synthesized from 4,4'-diphe-nylmethyl diisocyanate, poly(tetramethylene glycol), and z-Iysine oligomer as a chain extender. The PULL film was treated first with a $10\%$ HBr-acetic acid solution and subsequently with a saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to produce a primary amine group on the surface (PULL-N). Lactobionic acid (LA)-immobilized PULL (PULL-L) was prepared by the coupling reaction of the PULL surface amine groups and the LA carboxylic acid groups. The surface-modified PULLs were then characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle goniometry. In the hepatocytes adhesion experiment, the cells poorly adhered to the PULL surface, although they adhered moderately well to the PULL-N surface. On the other hand, the cells adhered well to the PULL-L surface, suggesting the good affinity of the surface $\beta$-galactose moieties for hepatocytes. When hepatocytes were cultured in the presence of epidermal growth factor for 48 h, the cells rapidly aggregated on the PULL-L surface, whereas they aggregated only slowly on the other surfaces. The PULL prepared in this study has the potential to be used as a coating material for the enhancement of hepatocyte adhesion.