Effect of methylene chain length in phospholipid moiety on blood compatibility of phospholipid polymers

To investigate the effects of the methylene chain length between the phospholipid polar group and the backbone on blood compatibility of a phospholipid polymer, copolymers of omega-methacryloyloxyalkyl phosphorylcholine (MAPC) with n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) were synthesized. The methylene chains were ethylene (n = 2), tetramethylene (n = 4), and hexamethylene (n = 6). Every MAPC copolymer with an MAPC mole fraction in the range of 0.1-0.3 was soluble in ethanol but only swelled in water, and the equilibrium water fraction of the water-swollen MAPC copolymer membrane decreased with the length of the methylene chain. When a rabbit platelet-rich plasma was applied on the MAPC copolymer surface with an 0.1 MAPC mol fraction for 180 min, the number of adhered platelets depended on the length of the methylene chain in the MAPC moiety of the copolymer. The amount of phospholipid adsorbed on the MAPC copolymer from human plasma was larger than that on hydrophobic poly(BMA) and increased with the length of the methylene chain in the MAPC moiety. That is, the reduction of platelet adhesion corresponded to the increase in the amount of phospholipid adsorbed on the MAPC copolymer.