Active Peptide-Conjugated Chitosan Matrices as an Artificial Basement Membrane

Abstract

Abstract:The basement membrane, a thin extracellular matrix, plays a critical role in tissue development and repair. Laminins are the major component of basement membrane and have diverse biological activities. We have identified various cell-adhesive peptides from laminins and their specific cell surface receptors. Polysaccharides, including chitosan, have been used as scaffolds, which regulate cellular functions for tissue engineering. We have developed laminin-derived active peptide-chitosan matrices as functional scaffolds. The biological activity of the peptides was enhanced when the peptides were conjugated to a chitosan matrix, suggesting that the peptide-chitosan matrix approach has an advantage for an active biomaterial. Further, the laminin peptide-chitosan matrices have the potential to mimic the basement membrane and are useful for tissue engineering as an artificial basement membrane.

Mixed Fibronectin-Derived Peptides Conjugated to a Chitosan Matrix Effectively Promotes Biological Activities through Integrins, α4β1, α5β1, αvβ3, and Syndecan

“…6,7 For example, we conjugated the laminin α1 chain LG4 module active peptide, EF1zz (ATLQLQEGRLHFXFDLGKGR, X: Nle, mouse laminin α1 chain LG4 module 2749–2767 that binds to integrin α2β1), to a chitosan matrix. The EF1zz-chitosan matrix promotes integrin α2β1-mediated cell spreading with focal adhesion formation.…”

Mixed Peptide-Conjugated Chitosan Matrices as Multi-Receptor Targeted Cell-Adhesive Scaffolds

“…We demonstrated that the cell attachment activity of peptides was enhanced by conjugation of the peptides to a chitosan matrix [ 36 ]. Cell attachment activity to the peptide–chitosan matrix depends on the amount of the immobilized peptides and is higher than that to peptide-coated plates [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. These results suggest that the peptides maintain their active conformation on the chitosan matrix, and that the chitosan matrix is a suitable material for the cell attachment assay.…”

“…The morphological differences of cells are due to the interaction of the peptides with different cellular receptors ( Table 1 ). Furthermore, the AG73–chitosan and FIB1–chitosan matrices promote neurite outgrowth but EF1–chitosan matrix does not have this activity [ 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

“…Since the cell attachment activity of peptides is influenced by their solubility, conformation, and coating efficiency to solid materials, immobilization of peptides to a polysaccharide, such as chitosan, has advantages to avoid the problems. We previously identified more than a hundred cell-adhesive peptides from thousands of LM-derived peptides and demonstrated that peptide–chitosan matrix systems are a useful strategy to evaluate the cell attachment activity of peptides [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. We chose chitosan for our immobilized peptide scaffolds because it is non-cell adhesive, stable, and biocompatible, and peptides can be immobilized on chitosan with the desired amount, correct sequence direction, and mixed ratios of different peptides can be immobilized.…”

“…We chose chitosan for our immobilized peptide scaffolds because it is non-cell adhesive, stable, and biocompatible, and peptides can be immobilized on chitosan with the desired amount, correct sequence direction, and mixed ratios of different peptides can be immobilized. Of specific importance is that LM-derived cell attachment peptide–chitosan matrices show biological activity depending on the immobilized peptide(s) [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Further, when the peptides are immobilized to chitosan, the activity of the peptides is significantly enhanced compared with that of the peptides coated on plastic tissue culture plates [ 36 ].…”