Effect of water structure on blood compatibility--thermal analysis of water in poly(meth)acrylate.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the main factor causing excellent blood compatibility of poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate)(PMEA) by the comparison between PMEA and seven PMEA analogous polymers. The polymers have a typical functional group as ester side chains such as methoxyethyl, hydroxyethyl, phenoxyethyl, and alkyl groups. The properties of the polymers relating to water were investigated in terms of contact angle, equilibrium water content (EWC), and thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry. The water in PMEA could be classified into three types: nonfreezing water, freezing bound water, and free water while the water in the analogous polymers was classified into just two types: free and nonfreezing waters, regardless of the chemical structure of the side chain. The surface property represented by the contact angle of water corresponded to the content of the bound water (nonfreezing water + freezing bound water). The platelet compatibility in vitro did not depend on the contents of these waters, or on the contact angle. On the basis of the results of this work and the previous work on the platelet compatibility of poly(MEA-co-HEMA) (Tanaka et al. Biomacromolecules 2002;3;36-41), the main factor causing the excellent compatibility of PMEA is discussed. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 68A: 684-695, 2004