ABSTRACT

This chapter provides background information regarding plasma proteins and the fundamentals of protein adsorption, protein systems including coagulation and fibrinolysis, cells, inflammation, the foreign body response and the immune system. Single protein adsorption isotherms can be reasonably well explained by the Langmuir model and the Freundlich model which were developed for gas adsorption. Albumin is the most abundant of the plasma proteins; it accounts for approximately half of the protein content of plasma. The coagulation system consists of a number of proteins that react in a cascade-like fashion, and has been described as a biological amplifier with positive and negative feedback. The fibrinolytic system is responsible for the degradation of fibrin. A mass of platelets aggregate at the site of injury as a result, bridging the site of rupture. Infrared spectroscopy can be used to identify chemical groups within a compound. The fatigue behavior of polymers also is important in biomaterial evaluation, in applications where dynamic stresses are applied.