SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL MATERIALS BASED ON MUSSEL ADHESIVE PROTEINS

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 众所周知，海洋贻贝会将自己锚在动荡的潮间带的水下表面。它们分泌的粘附蛋白能迅速固化形成粘附斑块。 据信，3，4-二羟基苯丙氨酸（DOPA），一种在MAPs中发现的含量高达25mol%的氨基酸，负责这些蛋白质的强界面结合和固化。 我们的研究目标是将DOPA及其衍生物的防水粘合特性与生物相容性合成聚合物结合起来，用于不同的生物医学应用。 我们的研究的一个方面是设计用于组织粘合剂或密封剂的DOPA改性聚合物，其利用DOPA在水性环境中快速固化并粘附于各种表面的能力，通过使用不同的合成聚合物，可以制备与现有医用粘合剂相比具有改进特性（即耐水粘附性、生物降解性和安全性）的新型生物粘合剂。 另一个研究领域的重点是将多巴与防污聚合物结合起来，创造出能够排斥蛋白质、细胞和细菌的涂层材料。 这些涂层可以使不同的表面抵抗细胞和细菌的粘附，包括金属、半导体和合成聚合物。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Marine mussels are known to anchor themselves to underwater surfaces inturbulent intertidal zones. They secrete adhesive proteins that can rapidlycure to form adhesive plaques. It is believed that3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), an amino acid found in MAPs at a contentas much as 25 mol%, is responsible for both strong interfacial binding andcuring of these proteins. The goals of our research are to combine thewater-resistant adhesive characteristics of DOPA and its derivatives withbiocompatible, synthetic polymer for different biomedical applications. Oneaspect of our research is to design DOPA-modified polymers for the use astissue adhesive or sealant, which exploits DOPA's ability to cure rapidlyand to adhere to a wide variety of surfaces in an aqueous environment.Through the use of different synthetic polymers, it is possible to createnovel bioadhesives with improved characteristics (i.e. water-resistantadhesion, biodegradability, and safety) as compared to existing medicaladhesives. Another research area focuses on combining DOPA with antifoulingpolymers to create coating materials that can repel proteins, cells, andbacteria. These coatings can render different surfaces resistant to celland bacteria adhesion ranging from metals, semiconductors, and syntheticpolymers.