Adsorption of BSA (Bovine Serum Albuminum) and lysozyme on poly(vinyl acetate) particles

Abstract

Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) particles find many uses in the biomedical field, including the use as particle embolizers. Particularly, embolizing particles can combine physical and chemical effects when they are doped with pharmaceuticals. For this reason, the adsorption of bovine serum albuminum (BSA) and lysozyme (used as model biomolecules) on PVAc particles produced through suspension polymerization is studied in the present manuscript in a broad range of pH values. It is shown that significant amounts of BSA and lysozyme can be adsorbed onto PVAc particles in the vicinities of the isoelectric point of the biomolecules (0.65mg of BSA and 1.0mg of lysozyme per g of PVAc), allowing for production of chemoembolizers through adsorption. Particularly, it is shown that lysozyme still presents residual activity after the adsorption process, which can constitute very important characteristic for real biomedical applications.