Self-regenerating giant hyaluronan polymer brushes

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Wenbin Wei, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jessica L. Faubel, Georgia Institute of Technology; Hemaa Selvakumar, Georgia Institute of Technology; Daniel T. Kovari, Georgia Institute of Technology; Joanna Tsao, Georgia Institute of Technology; Felipe Rivas, Wake Forest University; Amar T. Mohabir, Georgia Institute of Technology; Michelle Krecker, Georgia Institute of Technology; Elaheh Rahbar, Wake Forest University; Adam R. Hall, Wake Forest University; Michael A. Filler, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jennifer L. Washburn, University of Oklahoma; Paul H. Weigel, University of Oklahoma; Jennifer Curtis, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-12-01
• Publisher: Nature Research (part of Springer Nature): Fully open access journals
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2019, The Author(s).
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13440-7
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Nature Communications
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 5527
• End Page: 5527
• Grant/Funding Information: We gratefully financial support from the NSF DMR #0955811, #1709897 and NSF PoLS SRN # 1205878.
• Keywords: polymers; bioinspired materials
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical; Chemistry, Biochemistry; Physics, General

Abstract

Tailoring interfaces with polymer brushes is a commonly used strategy to create functional materials for numerous applications. Existing methods are limited in brush thickness, the ability to generate high-density brushes of biopolymers, and the potential for regeneration. Here we introduce a scheme to synthesize ultra-thick regenerating hyaluronan polymer brushes using hyaluronan synthase. The platform provides a dynamic interface with tunable brush heights that extend up to 20 microns – two orders of magnitude thicker than standard brushes. The brushes are easily sculpted into micropatterned landscapes by photo-deactivation of the enzyme. Further, they provide a continuous source of megadalton hyaluronan or they can be covalently-stabilized to the surface. Stabilized brushes exhibit superb resistance to biofilms, yet are locally digested by fibroblasts. This brush technology provides opportunities in a range of arenas including regenerating tailorable biointerfaces for implants, wound healing or lubrication as well as fundamental studies of the glycocalyx and polymer physics.