Interfacial adsorption of fibrinogen and its inhibition by RGD peptide: a combined physical study

The Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide sequence is known as a cell recognition site for numerous adhesive proteins present in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and in blood. Whilst surface immobilized RGD groups enhance cell attachment, RGD components present in solution can effectively inhibit cell attachment by competing with endogenous ligands for the same recognition site. In contrast to the widely reported binding to cell integrin, this study demonstrates a new RGD feature: its inhibitive effect on fibrinogen adsorption. Through a combined analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry, neutron reflection and dual polarization interferometry, we show that the kinetic process of fibrinogen adsorption as a model pro-coagulant at the silica/solution interface and in the absence of any cells can be substantially reduced by the addition of RGD in solution and that the extent of the reduction is dependent on the relative concentration of RGD.