Natural Polyelectrolyte Self-Assembled Multilayers Based on Collagen and Alginate: Stability and Cytocompatibility

Abstract

Scientific interest in the self-assembly of collagen composite films has been increasing for their potential application in constructing bioactive materials. Here we report a highly stable and cytocompatible collagen/alginate (COL/ALG) ultrathin film, which was linearly fabricated via a layer-by-layer self-assembled technique. The variation in morphology and thickness of the films in air and in solutions with different pH and ion values were tested by atomic force microscopy. Results showed that the solutions with high pH values or solutions that contained electrolytes would disintegrate the film, while films with that were cross-linked for a long time prevented the dissolution and contributed to stability maintenance of the films. Interestingly, the COL/ALG coating not only improved the adhesion and proliferation of the human periodontal ligament cells, but also modified the morphology and migration of cells on the surface of glass and poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) electrospun scaffolds. In conclusion, the COL/ALG ultrathin films were highly stable and cytocompatible and could be easily fabricated by the cost-effective self-assembled technique presented. The findings of this study have the potential to play an important role in the surface modification of biomaterials.

Tuning protein delivery from different architectures of layer-by-layer assemblies on polymer films

“…Several articles report the use of Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly as an efficient architecture to resolve this quest and open perspectives to apply these reservoirs in tissue engineering. [1][2][3][4][5] LbL assembly, complexation between oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, 6 has been applied to a myriad of surfaces (metal, 7 glass, 8 polymers, 9 etc.) and shapes (flat, 1 porous, 9 spherical, 10 etc.).…”

Cell Alignment Driven by Mechanically Induced Collagen Fiber Alignment in Collagen/Alginate Coatings

“…The step-by-step assembly of polyelectrolyte films [5][6][7][8] is another strategy to build innovative COL-based architectures that mimic extracellular matrix structures with fibrillar texture, which is of main importance for tissue homeostasis. [9][10][11][12][13][14] To build highly aligned structures made of synthetic polymer fibers or proteins, several strategies, motivated by the idea that an organized scaffold provides topographic cues to adherent cells, 15 have been developed: magnetic field, [16][17][18][19] electrospinning, 15,[20][21][22][23][24] micropatterning of surfaces, 25,26 buckling patterning of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and UV/Ozone treatment, 27 use of microfluidic devices, 28 flow processing, 29 or even combined techniques such as electrospinning associated with a magnetic field. 17 These techniques were mainly used to induce alignment of cells, 15,[30][31][32] which in turn may cause changes in gene expression.…”

“…5 Now, COLbased layer-by-layer films are known to possess a fibrillar topography randomly oriented. 9,[11][12][13][14] Therefore, COL/ALGcoated PDMS substrates were uniaxially stretched to align the collagen fibrils. Biocompatibility, cell morphology, and cell alignment were investigated by seeding various cell types on the stretched films in the perspective of potential applications of the designed substrate for regenerative medicine.…”

Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly of Light‐Responsive Polymeric Multilayer Systems

“…macroscopic planar films, spherical capsules), their internal structure, composition, or release triggers (e.g. pH, ionic strength, temperature, magnetic, electric or ultrasonic fields, light, redox potential, mechanical stress, biomolecules or ionic surfactants; Figure ) as well as by regulating the assembly mechanisms within LbL films to achieve film swelling, shrinkage, degradation or even disassembly to facilitate the loading or release of desired active molecules . Such response is based on the fact that synthetic macromolecules and hybrid composite materials assembled via LbL technology can change their structures and properties in response to small changes in the surrounding environment that may alter their individual chain dimensions, solubility, degradability, conformation, degree of intermolecular association, and specific secondary structure in aqueous media, and thus modify their binding affinity .…”