CELL MIGRATION AND PROLIFERATION IN BIONANOHYBRIDS COMPOSED OF TYPE II COLLAGEN AND POSS AMPHIPHILES

Abstract

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) based nanocompounds have recently emerged as viable compounds to make totally synthetic biocompatible tissue substitutes for use in the clinical arena. Here, we report on the use of three POSS based compounds to develop bionanohybrid scaffolds composed primarily of purified Type II collagen. The bionanohybrid scaffolds were prepared by blending purified Type II collagen with octa maleamic acid POSS, octa ammonium POSS, or polyethylene glycol POSS. We were able to differentially detect the presence of the different POSS compounds in the bionanohybrid scaffolds using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterized the effect of the hydrophilic POSS additives on the thermal behavior of the bionanohybrid scaffolds. Next, scanning electron microscopy revealed that different POSS compounds enhanced, refined, or altered the three-dimensional scaffold microstructure. Finally, by using these scaffolds to create three-dimensional tissue constructs, we measured the ability of human foreskin fibroblasts to migrate out and proliferate into the biomaterials. Our data suggest that POSS can be incorporated with native polymeric structural proteins to influence biomaterial architecture where cells can migrate and proliferate.