The surface energy of various biomaterials coated with adhesion molecules used in cell culture

Adhesion molecule-modified biomaterials for neural tissue engineering

Adhesion molecules (AMs) represent one class of biomolecules that promote central nervous system regeneration. These tethered molecules provide cues to regenerating neurons that recapitulate the native brain environment. Improving cell adhesive potential of non-adhesive biomaterials is therefore a common goal in neural tissue engineering. This review discusses common AMs used in neural biomaterials and the mechanism of cell attachment to these AMs. Methods to modify materials with AMs are discussed and compared. Additionally, patterning of AMs for achieving specific neuronal responses is explored.

EVA-enhanced embedding medium for histological analysis of 3D porous scaffold material

When sectioning a 3D porous scaffold made of a soft elastomeric material embedded in paraffin medium, it is not easy to obtain a section because of the different mechanical properties of the paraffin and tissue/scaffold. We describe a new embedding material for histological analysis of various biomaterials that is composed of paraffin and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) resin (0, 3, 7, and 13 wt.%). 3D porous poly(L-lactide-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL) and chitosan scaffolds were fabricated to test the sectioning efficiency of the paraffin/EVA embedding material. The new embedding material was characterized by rheological analysis and solvent solubility testing in xylene and n-hexane. The hydrophilicity of the new material was assessed by contact angle measurement and its surface roughness was measured using AFM analysis. The staining efficiency of sections embedded in a paraffin/EVA mixture was determined by eosin staining of the chitosan scaffold and chitosan/collagen hybrid scaffold using a fluorescently labeled collagen. Section roughness decreased with increasing EVA content. The softening temperature of the paraffin/EVA mixture was similar to that of paraffin (50-60 degrees C by rheometer). The paraffin/EVA mixture dissolved completely in xylene after 30min at 50 degrees C, and after 30min in n-hexane at 60 degrees C. Therefore, the new embedding medium can be used for histological analysis of various biomaterials and natural tissues.

Injectable iron-modified apatitic bone cement intended for kyphoplasty: cytocompatibility study

In this study, the cytocompatibility of human ephitelial (HEp-2) cells cultured on new injectable iron-modified calcium phosphate cements (IM-CPCs) has been investigated in terms of cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and morphology. Quantitative MTT-assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that cell adhesion and viability were not affected with culturing time by iron concentration in a dose-dependent manner. SEM-cell morphology showed that HEp-2 cells, seeded on IM-CPCs, were able to adhere, spread, and attain normal morphology. These results showed that the new injectable IM-CPCs have cytocompatible features of interest to the intended kyphophasty application, for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Novel high-resolution micropatterning for neuron culture using polylysine adsorption on a cell repellant, plasma-polymerized background

The ability to organize individual neurons and their processes in culture provides important benefits to both basic neuroscience research applications and the development of biomedical microdevices. While numerous methods have been used to produce such micropatterning of neurons and cells in general, there has yet been no method to simultaneously provide high-resolution patterns with high compliance of cells to desired patterns and good manufacturability. To develop such a process, this work used a plasma polymerized, nonfouling poly ethylene oxide (PEO)-like film to provide a cell repellant substrate on which cell adhesive micropatterns can be selectively laid down. While the use of plasma polymerized, organic films have been used for cell micropatterning, this process exploits the often-overlooked tendency for the surface of this PEO-like material to adsorb polylysine from aqueous solution while remaining nonfouling with respect to other species, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG). When the adsorption of polylysine was enhanced by brief plasma oxidation, which slightly alters the surface chemistry of the material, simple photolithographic liftoff could be used to micropattern stable, cell adhesive areas on an otherwise cell repellant background. We showed that the application of photolithography itself on the PEO-like material did not alter its chemical properties, nor did it result in the erosion of the micropatterned polylysine on its surface. Hippocampal neurons from embryonic mice flourished on these micropatterned substrates and exhibited viability comparable to neurons cultured on polylysine coated glass. Furthermore, the compliance of cell bodies and outgrowing neurites to the micropatterns was nearly perfect. In addition to providing cell adhesive regions, the micropatterned polylysine coating also served as a template mediating the immobilization of other bioactive species such as IgG and laminin. Using this "piggybacking" of laminin on polylysine, we were also able to culture and micropattern retinal ganglion cells (RGC).

Characterization of biomaterials polar interactions in physiological conditions using liquid-liquid contact angle measurements: relation to fibronectin adsorption

Wettability of biomaterials surfaces and protein-coated substrates is generally characterized with the sessile drop technique using polar and apolar liquids. This procedure is often performed in air, which does not reflect the physiological conditions. In this study, liquid/liquid contact angle measurements were carried out to be closer to cell culture conditions. This technique allowed us to evaluate the polar contribution to the work of adhesion between an aqueous medium and four selected biomaterials widely used in tissue culture applications: bacteriological grade polystyrene (PS), tissue culture polystyrene (tPS), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) film (PolyHEMA), and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose-carboxymethylcellulose bi-layered Petri dish (CEL). The contributions of polar interactions were also estimated on the same biomaterials after fibronectin (Fn) adsorption. The quantity of Fn adsorbed on PS, tPS, PolyHEMA and CEL surfaces was evaluated by using the fluorescein-labeled protein. PolyHEMA and CEL were found to be hydrophilic, tPS was moderately hydrophilic and PS was highly hydrophobic. After Fn adsorption on PS and tPS, a significant increase of the surface polar interaction was observed. On PolyHEMA and CEL, no significant adsorption of Fn was detected and the polar interactions remained unchanged. Finally, an inverse correlation between the polarity of the surfaces and the quantity of adsorbed Fn was established.

Ultrastructural observations and growth of occluding crystals in carious dentine

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructural mechanisms involved in the formation of caries-induced intratubular dentine. Conventional, high resolution and scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques were used to study the ultrastructure of the inorganic phase in the transparent zone of carious dentine. The results demonstrated that the bulk of the inorganic phase in caries-induced intratubular dentine had an apatite crystal structure with the presence of additional Mg-substituted beta-TCP (beta-tricalcium phosphate) phase in the carious region. Highly oriented apatite crystallites observed in intratubular dentine demonstrated a regulated biomineralization process during the formation of inorganic phase in this region, whereas Mg beta-TCP crystals were presumably formed purely via "dissolution/precipitation" mechanism. The study demonstrated the importance of "dissolution/precipitation" process and the growth kinetics of Mg-substituted beta-TCP crystals in understanding the process of formation of calcium-phosphate crystallites in carious intratubular dentine.

Importance of LPS structure on protein interactions with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to quantify the adhesion forces between Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and AK1401, and a representative model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The two bacteria strains differ in terms of the structure of their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) layers. While PAO1 is the wild-type expressing a complete LPS and two types of saccharide units in the O-antigen (A(+) B(+)), the mutant AK1401 expresses only a single unit of the A-band saccharide (A(+) B(-)). The mean adhesion force (F(adh)) between BSA and AK1401 was 1.12 nN, compared to 0.40 nN for F(adh) between BSA and PAO1. In order to better understand the fundamental forces that would control bacterial-protein interactions at equilibrium conditions, we calculated interfacial free energies using the van Oss-Chaudhury-Good (VCG) thermodynamic modeling approach. The hydrogen bond strength was also calculated using a Poisson statistical analysis. AK1401 has a higher ability to participate in hydrogen bonding with BSA than does PAO1, which may be because the short A-band and absence of B-band polymer allowed the core oligosaccharides and lipid A regions to be more exposed and to participate in hydrogen and chemical bonding. Interactions between PAO1 and BSA were weak due to the dominance of neutral and hydrophilic sugars of the A-band polymer. These results show that bacterial interactions with protein-coated surfaces will depend on the types of bonds that can form between bacterial surface macromolecules and the protein. We suggest that strategies to prevent bacterial colonization of biomaterials can focus on inhibiting these bonds.

Osteoblastic cell behavior on nanostructured metal implants

Aims: Surface modifications at the nanometric scale may promote protein adsorption, cell adhesion and thus favor the osseointegration of metal implants. The behavior of osteoblastic cells was studied on mirror-polished (Smooth-SS) and nanostructured (Nano-SS) stainless steel surfaces. Materials & methods: The nanostructuration was obtained by anodization. The surfaces were characterized by scanning electron, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron specytoscopy. Osteoblastic cells were cultured on these surfaces. Results & discussion: AFM showed a regular array of pores on the Nano-SS. Osteoblastic cells spread more rapidly on Nano-SS surfaces than on Smooth-SS surfaces. Cell viability was similar on Smooth-SS and Nano-SS. Alkaline phosphatase activity increased with culture time whatever the substrate but was better enhanced at 21 days on the Nano-SS than on the Smooth-SS. Conclusion: This study shows that the nanostructuration of metal implants may improve the adhesion and differentiation of osteoblastic cells.

Cell and protein compatibility of parylene-C surfaces

Parylene-C, which is traditionally used to coat implantable devices, has emerged as a promising material to generate miniaturized devices due to its unique mechanical properties and inertness. In this paper we compared the surface properties and cell and protein compatibility of parylene-C relative to other commonly used BioMEMS materials. We evaluated the surface hydrophobicity and roughness of parylene-C and compared these results to those of tissue culture-treated polystyrene, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), and glass. We also treated parylene-C and PDMS with air plasma, and coated the surfaces with fibronectin to demonstrate that biochemical treatments modify the surface properties of parylene-C. Although plasma treatment caused both parylene-C and PDMS to become hydrophilic, only parylene-C substrates retained their hydrophilic properties over time. Furthermore, parylene-C substrates display a higher degree of nanoscale surface roughness (>20 nm) than the other substrates. We also examined the level of BSA and IgG protein adsorption on various surfaces and found that surface plasma treatment decreased the degree of protein adsorption on both PDMS and parylene-C substrates. After testing the degree of cell adhesion and spreading of two mammalian cell types, NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and AML-12 hepatocytes, we found that the adhesion of both cell types to surface-treated parylene-C variants were comparable to standard tissue culture substrates, such as polystyrene. Overall, these results indicate that parylene-C, along with its surface-treated variants, could potentially be a useful material for fabricating cell-based microdevices.

Collagen films from swim bladders: preparation method and properties

This paper describes the preparation and characterization of collagen films extracted from swim bladders of three species of tropical fishes: Arius parkeri (Gurijuba), Cynoscion acoupa (Pescada Amarela) and Cynoscion leiarchus (Pescada Branca). Collagen was extracted under acidic conditions (CH(3)COOH, 2.5 pH) and precipitated by the addition of NaCl up to 3.0 mol L(-1). The films were prepared in acrylic containers and dried in a vacuum atmosphere. The collagen films were characterized by hydroxyproline contents, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. The determined values of 4-hydroxiproline and collagens in the films were: 105.23+/-4.48 and 873.2; 102.94+/-4.42 and 854.1; 100.65+/-4.80 and 835.8 mg g(-1) for A. parkeri, C. acoupa and C. leiarchus, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed high denaturation temperature peaks at temperatures ranging from 65.9 to 74.8 degrees C. The micrographs showed no fibrillar organization along the material, but spongy structure, with cavity diameters relatively uniform, at around 2 microm. The impedance spectroscopy presented a distributed relaxation process. A. parkeri's films showed piezoelectricity.

Viscoelastic modeling of highly hydrated laminin layers at homogeneous and nanostructured surfaces: quantification of protein layer properties using QCM-D and SPR

The adsorption of proteins at material surfaces is important in applications such as biomaterials, drug delivery, and diagnostics. The interaction of cells with artificial surfaces is mediated through adsorbed proteins, where the type of protein, amount, orientation, and conformation are of consequence for the cell response. Laminin, an important cell adhesive protein that is central in developmental biology, is studied by a combination of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to characterize the adsorption of laminin on surfaces of different surface chemistries. The combination of these two techniques allows for the determination of the thickness and effective density of the protein layer as well as the adsorbed mass and viscoelastic properties. We also evaluate the capacity of QCM-D to be used as a quantitative technique on a nanostructured surface, where protein is adsorbed specifically in a nanopattern exploiting PLL-g-PEG as a protein-resistant background. We show that laminin forms a highly hydrated protein layer with different characteristics depending on the underlying substrate. Using a combination of QCM-D and atomic force microscopy (AFM) data from nanostructured surfaces, we model laminin and antibody binding to nanometer-scale patches. A higher amount of laminin was found to adsorb in a thicker layer of a lower effective density in nanopatches compared to equivalent homogeneous surfaces. These results suggest that modeling of QCM-D data of soft viscoelastic layers arranged in nanopatterns may be applied where an independent measure of the "dry" mass is known.