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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Organic Materials 2020; 02(04): 342-357
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1721741
Review

Biomedical Uses of Sulfobetaine-Based Zwitterionic Materials

Francesco Zaccarian 
a   Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
b   Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht University, 6211 LK, Maastricht, The Netherlands
,
Matthew B. Baker 
b   Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration, MERLN Institute for Technology Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht University, 6211 LK, Maastricht, The Netherlands
,
Matthew J. Webber 
a   Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
› Author Affiliations Funding Information M.J.W. acknowledges funding support through the University of Notre Dame “Advancing our Vision” initiative. M.B.B. acknowledges financial support from the Province of Limburg.
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Abstract

Protein fouling can render a biomedical device dysfunctional, and also serves to nucleate the foreign body reaction to an implanted material. Hydrophilic coatings have emerged as a commonly applied route to combat interface-mediated complications and promote device longevity and limited inflammatory response. While polyethylene glycol has received a majority of the attention in this regard, coatings based on zwitterionic moieties have been more recently explored. Sulfobetaines in particular constitute one such class of zwitterions explored for use in mitigating surface fouling, and have been shown to reduce protein adsorption, limit cellular adhesion, and promote increased functional lifetimes and limited inflammatory responses when applied to implanted materials and devices. Here, we present a focused review of the literature surrounding sulfobetaine, beginning with an understanding of its chemistry and the methods by which it is applied to the surface of a biomedical device in molecular and polymeric forms, and then advancing to the many early demonstrations of function in a variety of biomedical applications. Finally, we provide some insights into the benefits and challenges presented by its use, as well as some outlook on the future prospects for using this material to improve biomedical device practice by addressing interface-mediated complications.

Key words

biomaterials - drug delivery - surface chemistry - materials chemistry - biomedical devices


Publication History

Received: 27 September 2020

Accepted: 15 November 2020

Article published online:
23 December 2020

© 2020. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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