Impact of self-assembled monolayer films with specific chemical group on bFGF adsorption and endothelial cell growth on gold surface

Effects of surface functional groups on proliferation and biofunction of Schwann cells

Scaffolds in tissue engineering should be rationally designed to become an adhesion substrate friendly to cells. Schwann cells play an important role in nerve regeneration and repair. Previous studies have suggested that surface chemical groups have effect on many types of cells. However, there have hitherto been few reports on Schwann cells. In this study, we investigated cell adhesion, survival, proliferation, and neurotrophic actions of Schwann cells cultured on glass coverslips modified with different chemical groups, including methyl, carboxyl, amino, hydroxyl, mercapto, and sulfonic groups. Schwann cells on amino and carboxyl surfaces had higher attachment rate, presenting good morphology, high proliferation, and strong neurotrophic functions, while on methyl surfaces, few cells can survive, cells shrunk into round shape, exhibiting poor proliferation and weak neurotrophic functions. Growth of cells on other groups was between methyl and amino, carboxyl, and had little difference among them. Our data indicated that chemical groups can regulate behavior of Schwann cells, indicating a way to design new scaffolds for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Gene expression profiling and mechanism study of neural stem cells response to surface chemistry

To declare the mechanisms of neural stem cells (NSCs) in response to material surface chemistry, NSCs were exposed to the self-assemble monolayers of alkanethiolates on gold surfaces terminated with amine (NH2), hydroxyl (OH) and methyl (CH3) for analysis. The morphological responses of NSCs were recorded; the gene expression profilings were detected by genechips; the gene expressions data of NSCs responded to different chemical groups were declared through the gene ontology term and pathway analyses. It showed that cells behaved dissimilar on the three chemical groups, the adhesion, proliferation and migration were easier on the NH2 and OH groups; the gene expressions of NSCs were induced differently, either, involved in several functional processes and signaling pathways. CH3 group induced genes enriched much in chemistry reactions and death processes, whereas many genes of cellular nucleotide metabolism were down-regulated. NH2 group induced NSCs to express many genes of receptors on membrane, and participated in cellular signal transduction of cell adhesion and interactions, or associated with axon growth. OH group was similar to NH2 group to induce the membrane response, but it also down regulated metabolism of cells. Therefore, it declared the chemical groups affected NSCs through inner way and the NH2, OH and CH3 groups triggered the cellular gene expression in different signaling pathways.