Chitosan-conjugated Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) for Contact Lens Application

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based (PHEMA) hydrogels are widely used for biomedical applications including contact lens. In this work, a simple and cost-effective method has been introduced for modification of PHEMA as a platform to producing low-fouling surface for biomedical applications. We aimed to reduce protein adsorption by surface modification of PHEMA through chitosan immobilization. In practice, A PHEMA hydrogel was synthesized and treated with a dilute acid solution for partially hydrolysis of the HEMA ester groups to inducing acid groups on the surface of hydrogel. Subsequently, carboxylic acid groups of the modified PHEMA were reacted with primary amine of chitosan via carbodiimide chemistry. Protein absorption of artificial tear fluid (ATF) on samples was then evaluated with bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay