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Reduced cell attachment to poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-coated ventricular catheters in vitro
Brian W Hanak1,2, Chia-Yun Hsieh3, William Donaldson1
1Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.
Insights
Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) coatings on ventriculoperitoneal shunts reduce brain immune cell attachment, a common cause of shunt failure in hydrocephalus patients.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Hydrocephalus treatment often relies on ventriculoperitoneal shunts, which are prone to failure.
- Obstruction by microglia and astrocytes, brain immune cells, causes over half of pediatric shunt failures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) as a coating for ventricular catheters to reduce immune cell attachment.
- To utilize initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) for uniform PHEMA coating on complex catheter surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Commercially available ventricular catheters were coated with PHEMA using iCVD.
- Surface chemistry and morphology were confirmed using FTIR, XPS, and SEM.
- Coated and uncoated catheters were tested in an in vitro hydrocephalus model with co-cultured microglia and astrocytes.
Main Results:
- PHEMA coating was successfully applied and characterized on ventricular catheters.
- Significantly reduced attachment of microglia and astrocytes to PHEMA-coated catheters was observed at 17 days and 6 weeks.
- PHEMA coatings demonstrate potential for improving shunt longevity.
Conclusions:
- PHEMA coatings applied via iCVD effectively reduce glial cell adhesion to ventricular catheters.
- This approach offers a promising strategy to mitigate shunt obstruction and improve outcomes for hydrocephalus patients.
Abstract:
The majority of patients with hydrocephalus are dependent on ventriculoperitoneal shunts for diversion of excess cerebrospinal fluid. Unfortunately, these shunts are failure-prone and over half of all life-threatening pediatric failures are caused by obstruction of the ventricular catheter by the brain's resident immune cells, reactive microglia and astrocytes. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogels are widely used for biomedical implants. The extreme hydrophilicity of PHEMA confers resistance to protein fouling, making it a strong candidate coating for ventricular catheters. With the advent of initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), a solvent-free coating technology that creates a polymer in thin film form on a substrate surface by introducing gaseous reactant species into a vacuum reactor, it is now possible to apply uniform polymer coatings on complex three-dimensional substrate surfaces. iCVD was utilized to coat commercially available ventricular catheters with PHEMA. The chemical structure was confirmed on catheter surfaces using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. PHEMA coating morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Testing PHEMA-coated catheters against uncoated clinical-grade catheters in an in vitro hydrocephalus catheter bioreactor containing co-cultured astrocytes and microglia revealed significant reductions in cell attachment to PHEMA-coated catheters at both 17-day and 6-week time points. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1268-1279, 2018.
