Muga, R.D.C. and Lee, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-0797-1446 (2024) Interaction of Pluronic F-127 with serum proteins and its feasibility as a lubricant additive for CoCrMo/UHMWPE interface. Friction. ISSN 2223-7690
Abstract
In this study, we report the feasibility of Pluronic “F-127” as a lubricant for CoCrMo/ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) interface in serum as a synovial fluid model. While adsorption and lubrication properties of amphiphilic copolymers such as F-127 at a hydrophobic surface in aqueous media have been well established, its efficacy in serum can be more complicated due to potential interaction of F-127 with serum proteins or competitive adsorption onto UHMWPE surface. When an aliquot of F-127 solution (in concentration range of F-127 from 0.1% to 20% dissolved in HEPES) was added into serum where a CoCrMo pin is sliding against an UHMWPE disk, an immediate decrease in the coefficient of friction (COF) (ca. 20%) was observed. A spectroscopy study employing dynamic light scattering (DLS), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and UV absorbance spectroscopy has shown that serum associatively interacts with F-127 when the F-127 concentration is above c.m.c., leading to an increase in hydrodynamic size and alteration of tertiary structure of proteins in serum. Mixing of F-127 with the solutions of selected single component biomolecules of serum showed that γ-globulin is the primary molecule that interacts with F-127 above c.m.c., followed by albumin. Meanwhile, no indication of interaction was observed when the F-127 concentration was below c.m.c.. It is thus proposed that the observed lubricating effect of F-127 in serum is primarily due to the faster surface adsorption kinetics for its smaller molecular weight compared to serum proteins. Further, comparable % reduction in COF over a wide range of F-127 concentration indicates that unimeric F-127 molecules are dominant in contribution to friction-lowering effect even at above c.m.c. at CoCrMo/UHMWPE interface in serum.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | F-127; micelle; lubricant; serum; UHMWPE |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mechanical Engineering (Leeds) > Institute of Functional Surfaces (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Dec 2024 10:18 |
Last Modified: | 10 Dec 2024 10:18 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Tsinghua University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.26599/frict.2025.9441036 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:220600 |