Gene expression, glycocalyx assay, and surface properties of human endothelial cells cultured on hydrogel matrix with sulfonic moiety: Effect of elasticity of hydrogel

Abstract

We measured the gene expression, glycocalyx content, and surface properties of human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) cultured on poly(sodium p-styrene sulfonate) (PNaSS) hydrogels with various levels of elasticity ranged in 3 kPa ~ 300 kPa. We found that all HCAECs reached confluence on these hydrogels while retaining the similar expression of EC-specific markers to that on polystyrene (PS), a widely used scaffold in cell culture in vitro. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) assay showed that the amount of EC-specific glycocalyx secreted by HCAECs cultured on PNaSS gels was higher than that cultured on PS, and it increased with an increase of gel elasticity. Furthermore, the HCAECs cultured on PNaSS gels showed excellent property against platelet adhesion and lower surface friction than that on PS. The platelet adhesion and surface friction of HCAECs cultured on PNaSS gels also depend on the elasticity of gels. The largest amount of EC-specific glycocalyx, excellent blood compatibility, and the lowest friction were observed when the elastic modulus of the gel was larger than 60 kPa. Overall, HCAECs cultured on these hydrogels have better properties than those cultured on PS scaffolds, demonstrating the PNaSS gels can be used as potential tissue engineering material for blood vessels.

Defining and designing polymers and hydrogels for neural tissue engineering

“…>90% water) due to their hydrophilic nature and, because of this, have attracted much attention for cell culture and tissue regeneration. Hydrogels can be pliant and flexible like soft tissues, rigid like cartilage or bone, or elastic to mimic skin or blood vessels (Stammen et al, 2001; Bryant and Anseth, 2002; Fromstein and Woodhouse, 2002; Guan et al, 2005; Guan and Wagner, 2005; Kraehenbuehl et al, 2008; Mithieux et al, 2009; Rnjak et al, 2009; Vanderhooft et al, 2009; Chatterjee et al, 2010; Sung et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2010; Young and Engler, 2011). The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the brain – which provides the macroscopic architecture and supports neural cell survival, migration, and differentiation – is formed from a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel backbone (Ruoslahti, 1996; Lodish et al, 2007; Bonneh-Barkay and Wiley, 2009; Quirico-Santos et al, 2010).…”

“…The shear and Young’s moduli, along with the compressive modulus, are measures of the elastic properties of the material as defined by Hooke’s law (“Hooke’s Law, Encyclopædia Britannica ). Mimicking these mechanical properties in the creation of a hydrogel allows tissue engineers to imitate peripheral tissues, such as skin or blood vessels, which are frequently exposed to these types of mechanical stresses (Pailler-Mattei et al, 2008; Ueki et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2010). In a study which exemplifies the unique tunable characteristics of hydrogels, HA and PEG-based hydrogels designed by Young and Engler (2011) were designed to become stiffer (an increase in elastic modulus) over time in a manner similar to the temporal change in stiffness observed in developing heart muscle.…”

Hydrogels as feeder-free scaffolds for long-term self-renewal of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells

“…The chemical structures of PDMAAm and PNaAMPS are shown in Scheme . These hydrogels were synthesized by radical polymerization as previously described (Yang et al ., , ). Sheets of 1‐mm thickness of the gels were synthesized in the reaction cells.…”

Synthetic hydrogels as scaffolds for manipulating endothelium cell behaviors

“…. Furthermore, the cell morphology is more homogenous on the hydrogel scaffolds than that on TCPS [41].…”