Immobilization of the cell-adhesive peptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Cys (RGDC) on titanium surfaces by covalent chemical attachment.

Surface modification of acid-pretreated titanium with 3-aminopropyltriethoxylsilane (APTES) in dry toluene resulted in covalently bonded siloxane films with surface coverage that was relatively controllable by regulating the reaction conditions. A hetero-bifunctional cross-linker, N-succinimidyl-3-maleimidopropionate (SMP), reacted with the terminal amino groups, forming the exposed maleimide groups. Finally, a model cell-binding peptide, Arg-Gly-Asp-Cys (RGDC), was immobilized on the surface through covalent addition of the cysteine thiol groups to the maleimide groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, radiolabelling techniques, and ellipsometry were used to quantify and characterize the modified surfaces.