생체 적합성이 우수한 기능성 컨택트렌즈에 관한 연구

Abstract

This study is to investigate the physical properties and antifouling or antioxidant abilities of 4 different functionalized p(HEMA) base hydrogel contact lenses. At first, to improve antifouling properties, hydrophilic DMAPS, METAC, DMAPMA each were introduced onto p(HEMA) hydrogel by two different methods, surface modification and copolymerization. The resulting functionalized hydrogel contact lenses showed high water content, enhanced surface wettability and good trnasmittance. Among the hydrophilic monomers, zwitterionic DMAPS exhibited superior antifouling properties and copolymerization method is better than surface modification to reduce protein and bacteria adsorption onto the hydrogel contact lenses. Second, antioxidant hydrogels were prepared by introducing dopamine into p(HEMA) hydrogel by 2 different methods. Dopamine was introduced by condensation reaction with carboxylic acid of methacrylic acid of hydrogel prepared by radical polymerization of HEMA, EGDMA and methacrylic anhydride. Another antioxidant hydrogels were synthesized by condensation reaction between dopamine and alginic acid of methacrylate alginic acid interpenetrating polymer network structure (MA-IPN) with p(HEMA). The resulting antioxidant hydrogel lenses exhibited more than 90% of visible light transmittance, high (about 50%) water contents. The antioxidant properties were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging assay and measured antioxidant activities were comparable to 75~85% (copolymer of methacrylic acid), and about 50% (MA-IPN hydrogels) of ascorbic acid. As a result, the prepared antioxidant hydrogel contact lenses showed superior antioxidant activities although a small amount of dopamine group was employed. This study indicates that these functionalized p(HEMA) hydrogels may facilitate to improve antifouling and antioxidant properties in biomedical devices and ophthalmic materials.