Conjugation of gold nanoparticles to polypropylene mesh for enhanced biocompatibility

Polypropylene mesh materials have been utilized in hernia surgery for over 40 years. However, they are prone to degradation due to the body's aggressive foreign body reaction, which may cause pain or complications, forcing mesh removal from the patient. To mitigate these complications, gold nanomaterials were attached to polypropylene mesh in order to improve cellular response. Pristine samples of polypropylene mesh were exposed to hydrogen peroxide/cobalt chloride solutions to induce formation of surface carboxyl functional groups. Gold nanoparticles were covalently linked to the mesh. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of gold nanoparticles. Differential scanning calorimetry and mechanical testing confirmed that the polypropylene did not undergo any significantly detrimental changes in physicochemical properties. A WST-1 cell culture study showed an increase in cellularity on the gold nanoparticle-polypropylene mesh as compared to pristine mesh. This study showed that biocompatibility of polypropylene mesh may be improved via the conjugation of gold nanoparticles.