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Designing scaffolds for valvular interstitial cells: Cell adhesion and function on naturally derived materials
Author(s) -
Masters Kristyn S.,
Shah Darshita N.,
Walker Gennyne,
Leinwand Leslie A.,
Anseth Kristi S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.30149
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , fibronectin , adhesion , self healing hydrogels , cell adhesion , laminin , morphogenesis , hyaluronic acid , interstitial cell , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , tissue engineering , regeneration (biology) , biophysics , biomedical engineering , chemistry , biochemistry , anatomy , polymer chemistry , biology , composite material , medicine , endocrinology , gene
Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) possess many properties that make them attractive for use in the construction of a tissue‐engineered valve; however, we have found that the surfaces to which VICs will adhere and spread are limited. For example, VICs adhere and spread on collagen and laminin‐coated surfaces, but display altered morphology and do not proliferate. Interestingly, fibronectin (FN) was one adhesion protein that facilitated VIC adhesion and proliferation. Yet VICs did not spread on surfaces modified with RGD, a ubiquitous cell‐adhesive peptide, nor with other FN‐specific peptide sequences such as EILDV and PHSRN. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a highly elastic polysaccharide that is involved in natural valve morphogenesis and possesses binding interactions with FN. Hyaluronic acid was modified to form photopolymerizable hydrogels, and VICs were found to spread and proliferate on HA‐based gels, forming a confluent monolayer on the gels within 4 days. Modified HA retained its ability to specifically bind FN, allowing for the formation of gels containing both HA and FN. Valvular interstital cells cultured on HA surfaces displayed significantly increased production of extracellular matrix proteins, indicating that HA‐based scaffolds may provide useful biological cues to stimulate heart valve tissue formation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 71A: 172–180, 2004