(55g) Collagen Thin Film Adhesion and Morphology Mediated By Siderophore Inspired Molecules

Adhesion in biological environments (aqueous ionic solutions) is challenged by the high dielectric constant of water which reduces van der Waals interactions, ions in solution which screen electrostatic interactions, and the hydration layers both on hydrophilic substrates and surface-bound ions which discourage adhesive contact between glues and the substrate. In this study, we investigated adhesion between symmetric thin films of collagen type-1 (Col-1), a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), mediated by synthetic analogs of siderophores (small molecule bacterial iron chelators).

Our SFA measurements indicate that Col-1 films remain strongly bound to the underlying mica substrate, even after repeated loading-unloading cycles. For only Col-1 films, we observed very weak adhesion forces, F_ad < 5 mN/m. Adsorption of TLC-adhesive molecules to the Col-1 films significantly increased the force of adhesion, F_ad, to > 50 mN/m. This adhesion remained constant over several hours.

These findings suggest that siderophore inspired molecules might be an improved alternative to existing bio-adhesives, as they have been proven to strongly bridge mineral surfaces⁵ (mimicking prosthesis metal surfaces) and now interacting with the main ECM component of mammal tissues, Col-1.