Applications of ophthalmic biomaterials embedded with fucoidan

Hydrogel biofilms of a biocompatible polymer, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacylate) (pHEMA), containing fucoidan and/or methacrylic acid (MAA) were synthesized and tested for suitability of biomedical application. Films’ water contents, antimicrobial effects and protein adsorption in the presence of various concentrations of fucoidan were measured. Protein adsorption in various MAA concentrations at fixed fucoidan concentration was also studied. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin was found to be independent of the concentrations of fucoidan and MAA. In the absence of MAA, lysozyme adsorption was not affected by the concentration of fucoidan. The presence of MAA increased the amount of adsorbed lysozyme. The antibacterial activity of fucoidan had little effect in the absence of MAA. However, in the presence of MAA, the antibacterial effect of fucoidan increased with increasing MAA concentration.