Using electrophoretic deposition to identify protein charge in biological medium

Protein adsorption is the first step involved in establishing a suitable integration between a biomaterial and host tissue. It is therefore of highest interest to know the electric charge of proteins present in the relevant medium to be able to predict the behaviour of cells on given surfaces. In this study, electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was used as a simple method to identify the charge of proteins present in biological medium. In the model experiment carried out here, EPD was conducted using a biological medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) and the charge of the protein was determined by examining the migration of the protein in the EPD cell under a certain applied voltage. In addition, the suitability of EPD of proteins to deliver tailored surfaces for enhanced bioactivity or for controlled deposition of protein films on metallic surfaces was explored