Polymethacrylate Networks as Substrates for Cell Culture

Abstract

Summary: methacrylate networks have a long history of applications in medical technology and much is known of their non‐fouling properties. However, in recent times it has become clear that the swollen nature of these materials may provide some advantages if they are used as scaffolds in tissue engineering. In general however these hydrogels are resistant to protein adsorption and human cells do not easily adhere. In this work we provide an overview of several strategies that are designed to improve the cell‐adhesive properties of hydrogels while maintaining their useful properties, mainly ease of diffusion of nutrients and growth factors. We describe our early attempts at modifying hydrogels based on 2,3‐propandiol ‐1‐methacrylate, with either hydrophobic units or acid groups. Modification with lauryl methacrylate produced an improvement but acid modification failed to provide surfaces that were conducive to cell culture. Much better scaffolds were prepared by amination of epoxy functional 2,3‐propandiol‐1‐methacrylate networks. Optimized materials in this class were shown to be good substrates for the co‐culture of bovine keratocytes with human corneal epithelial cells. We also describe the synthesis and biological properties of methacrylate conetworks, which phase separate during synthesis to give porous amphiphilic materials. Optimization of these materials produces materials that perform as well as tissue culture plastic so that confluent sheets of human dermal fibroblasts can be produced using standard culture techniques.

Cell Adhesion to Polymethacrylate Networks Prepared by Photopolymerization and Functionalized with GRGDS Peptide or Fibrinogen

“…Recently, the underlying principles that control these properties are emerging but there is still much to be determined in the detail of how synthetic materials affect cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. In our recent work, we have shown that control of polymer network architecture and synthesis conditions, which ultimately control bulk and surface morphology, can have profound effects on cell behavior 1–3. We have also shown that the addition of specific alkyl amine groups can convert previously non‐adhesive hydrogel substrates into excellent supports for cell culture 1, 4.…”

“…However, conventional non‐charged hydrogels are essentially non‐adhesive for cells and they are poor substrates for cell culture. In a previous volume in this series of symposia from the Polymer Networks Group, we described how both amphiphilic conetworks and alkyl‐aminated hydrogels were excellent substrates for cell culture 1. In this article we report our most recent work on understanding how to modify hydrogels for cell attachment.…”

2,2′:6′,2′′-Terpyridine-functionalized redox-responsive hydrogels as a platform for multi responsive amphiphilic polymer membranes

“…1 Hence, these conetworks are generally employed in the synthesis of drugdelivery systems, 4 scaffolds for tissue engineering, 5 biocatalysts and nanoreactors, 6 contact lenses, 7 biosensors 8 and body implants. 9 In particular, application in tissue engineering and drug delivery not only aim at the above mentioned properties, but it is also desirable to change these properties in response to an external stimulus.…”

Conducting Cell Scaffold—Poly(3′‐aminomethyl‐2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene)

“…Wertheimer and coworkers demonstrated the critical importance of the primary amine (NH 2 ) of nitrogen‐rich plasma‐polymerized ethylene films by correlating selective cell adhesion of human U‐937 macrophages on the surfaces with varying nitrogen concentrations . Sun et al investigated a strategy for promoting cell‐adhesive properties of polymethacrylate hydrogel networks that were composed of 2,3,‐propandiol‐1‐methacrylate (GMMA), dodecyl methacrylate (DM), and ethandiol dimethacrylate (EDMA) modified with various amounts of methacrylic acid (MA) . Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) cultured on the hydrogels containing various amounts of MA did not spread well and were poorly attached to all of the hydrogels.…”