Attachment and proliferation of fibroblast cells on polyetherurethane urea derivatives

Interactions of novel polyetherurethane urea derivatives with fibroblast cells as well as with plasma proteins were investigated. Fibronectin, which is a cell adhesion protein, was found to be very active in attaching fibroblast cells onto a heparinized polyetherurethane urea: its activity was found to be strongly dependent on the surface properties of the material. Fibronectin was easily adsorbed by the heparinized polyetherurethane urea, but the degree of its adsorption to the material in competition with other proteins was so low that cell attachment to polyetherurethane ureas was decreased by heparinization. Different degrees of cell attachment onto different materials due to different adsorptivities of plasma proteins were considered. Proliferation of fibroblast cells was suppressed on cationic polyetherurethane urea but unaffected on other derivatives of polyetherurethane urea. Since specific suppression of cell proliferation was not observed on the heparinized polyetherurethane urea, the latter material was expected to be useful as a long-term antithrombogenic material in vivo.