Cell Adhesion Behavior Research Articles

Precise Tuning and Characterization of Viscoelastic Interfaces for the Study of Early Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Behaviors.

There is growing evidence that cellular functions are regulated by the viscoelastic nature of surrounding matrices. This study aimed to investigate the impact of interfacial viscoelasticity on adhesion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) behaviors of epithelial cells. The interfacial viscoelasticity was manipulated using spin-coated thin films composed of copolymers of ε-caprolactone and d,l-lactide photo-cross-linked with benzophenone, whose mechanical properties were characterized using atomic force microscopy and a rheometer. The critical range for the morphological transition of epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells was of the order of 102 ms relaxation time, which was 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than the relaxation times reported (10-102 s). An analysis of strain rate-dependent viscoelastic properties revealed that the difference was caused by the different strain rate/frequency used for the mechanical characterization of the interface and bulk. Furthermore, decoupling of the interfacial viscous and elastic terms demonstrated that E/N-cadherin expression levels were regulated differently by interfacial relaxation and elasticity. These results confirm the significance of precise manipulation and characterization of interfacial viscoelasticity in mechanobiology studies on EMT progression.

Cellular nanointerface of vertical nanostructure arrays and its applications.

Vertically standing nanostructures with various morphologies have been developed with the emergence of the micro-/nanofabrication technology. When cells are cultured on them, various bio–nano interfaces between cells and vertical nanostructures would impact the cellular activities, depending on the shape, density, and height of nanostructures. Many cellular pathway activation processes involving a series of intracellular molecules (proteins, RNA, DNA, enzymes, etc.) would be triggered by the cell morphological changes induced by nanostructures, affecting the cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, immune activation, cell adhesion, cell migration, and other behaviors. In addition, the highly localized cellular nanointerface enhances coupled stimulation on cells. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of the cellular nanointerface can not only provide innovative tools for regulating specific cell functions but also offers new aspects to understand the fundamental cellular activities that could facilitate the precise monitoring and treatment of diseases in the future. This review mainly describes the fabrication technology of vertical nanostructures, analyzing the formation of cellular nanointerfaces and the effects of cellular nanointerfaces on cells' fates and functions. At last, the applications of cellular nanointerfaces based on various nanostructures are summarized.

The Adaptor Protein Lurap1 Is Required for Cell Cohesion during Epiboly Movement in Zebrafish.

Simple SummaryCell adhesion and active cell shape changes play an important role in morphogenetic movements during embryonic development. Zebrafish is an attractive model for the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes. Epiboly is a conserved gastrulation cell movement, which describes the thinning and spreading of an external sheet of cells to cover other groups of cells in the embryo. It involves differential cellular adhesive properties and dynamic cytoskeletal organization across the embryo, but how these are regulated remains elusive. We found that the adaptor protein Lurap1, which interacts with other proteins required for cell migration, plays a role in cell adhesion during epiboly. In zebrafish mutants with loss of Lurap1 function, there is a reduced cellular cohesion in the epithelial blastoderm cells and a delayed epiboly movement. Our observations suggest that Lurap1 is implicated in the regulation of cellular behavior changes for coordinated morphogenetic movements in vertebrate embryos.Cell adhesion and polarized cellular behaviors play critical roles in a wide variety of morphogenetic events. In the zebrafish embryo, epiboly represents an important process of epithelial morphogenesis that involves differential cell adhesion and dynamic cell shape changes for coordinated movements of different cell populations, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. The adaptor protein Lurap1 functions to link myotonic dystrophy kinase-related Rac/Cdc42-binding kinase with MYO18A for actomyosin retrograde flow in cell migration. We previously reported that it interacts with Dishevelled in convergence and extension movements during gastrulation. Here, we show that it regulates blastoderm cell adhesion and radial cell intercalation during epiboly. In zebrafish mutant embryos with loss of both maternal and zygotic Lurap1 function, deep cell multilayer of the blastoderm exhibit delayed epiboly with respect to the superficial layer. Time-lapse imaging reveals that these deep cells undergo unstable intercalation, which impedes their expansion over the yolk cell. Cell sorting and adhesion assays indicate reduced cellular cohesion of the blastoderm. These defects are correlated with disrupted cytoskeletal organization in the cortex of blastoderm cells. Thus, the present results extend our previous works by demonstrating that Lurap1 is required for cell adhesion and cell behavior changes to coordinate cell movements during epithelial morphogenesis. They provide insights for a further understanding of the regulation of cytoskeletal organization during gastrulation cell movements.

Mechanical properties, bioactivity and cell behavior of barium-containing calcium-phospho-alumino-borosilicate glass

In this study, the effect of replacing CaO by BaO on mechanical properties, bioactivity, and cell adhesion of SiO2–B2O3–Al2O3–P2O5–CaO–Na2O based glass was investigated. Mechanical characterization, depth-sensing nano-indentation, and surface micro-indentation techniques were employed to determine the fracture toughness (KIC). The surface was photographed after micro-indentation effect using scanning electron microscopy. In vitro responses of the compounds of tris-buffered SBF solution were studied from different points of view: (i) morphology and elemental surface analysis using field emission electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy; (ii) change in bonds using Raman spectroscopy; and (iii) ICP method for detecting the change in ion chemistry of SBF solution. The cell adhesion behavior was qualitatively evaluated by examining the morphology and attachment of mouse fibroblastic cells to the surface of the glasses. The results demonstrated that with the replacement of barium oxide, the hardness of the base glass increased, while the level of fracture toughness was maintained. In addition, in vitro bioactivity of barium oxide-containing glass was reduced compared to the base glass. However, structural dissolution and formation of calcium phosphate layers on their surfaces were also confirmed. The results showed that BaO-incorporated glasses had adequate cell propagation and proliferation, hence enjoying appropriate biocompatibility for use in coating applications.

Newly Synthesized Benzothiazole Derived Ligand and its Co(III) and Ru(III) Complexes as Biological Potent Molecules: Chemical Preparation, Structure, Antimicrobial, in vitro and in vivo Cytotoxicity Studies

Herein we describe the synthesis of 2-((E)-(2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)phenylimino)methyl)-5-methoxyphenol imine base (BMM) and its metal complexes such as [Co(BMM)2] C1, [Co(BMM)(ph)] C2, [Ru(BMM)2] C3 and [Ru(BMM)(ph)] C4. The ligand and its complexes were characterized by spectroscopic, TGA, Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and elemental analysis. The coordination number and geometry were confirmed by various experimental data. The Co(III) and Ru(III) complexes are assigned to be having octahedral geometry. Further, the experimental results revealed that complex C2 and C4 emerged as moderate DNA binding intercalators compared to standard intercalators and prominent nuclease activity compared with C1 and C3 complexes. The extent of interaction and intercalation mode was confirmed by monitoring electronic absorption studies, fluorescence quenching probe, and viscosity measurement. Furthermore, the complexes C1-C4 were investigated for their in vitro cytotoxic studies against a panel of human cancer cell lines, viz., A549, NIH3T3, MCF-7, and EAC. Also, the cell adhesion and migration behavior were carried out after administering the complex C2 and C4 to respective cancer cell lines. In mice, the toxicities and tolerabilities of the complex C2 and C4 were also investigated through in vivo studies. The resultant complexes were screened for their microbial inhibition studies through the good diffusion method. All the complexes display moderate microbial inhibition properties compared to their uncoordinated analog.

Mesoscale modeling and biocompatibility of nano-hydroxyapatite reinforced ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene composite

This work aims to implement an efficient and accurate computational model to predict elastoplastic properties of UHMWPE/nano-HA bio-composite. Mean-field (MF) homogenization and finite element (FE) techniques are implemented to predict the elastoplastic behavior of composite. The predicted results obtained by MF and FE were compared and validated experimentally by fabricating the specimen using microwave-assisted compression molding. The axial and transverse moduli were increased by 49% at a 20% weight fraction of nano-HA. The hardening modulus was also found to be increased by 67%. Further, Degree of crystallinity (Xc) of fabricated composite specimens was determined using differential scanning calorimetry analysis. It was found that the Xc increased 34% with the addition of 20% weight fraction of nano-HA. In vitro, direct contact cytotoxicity and antibacterial test were performed to determine cell adhesion and bacterial behavior of the composite.

Fabrication and characterization of carbon aerogel/poly(glycerol-sebacate) patches for cardiac tissue engineering

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for the major number of deaths around the world. Among these is heart failure after myocardial infarction whose latest therapeutic methods are limited to slowing the end-state progression. Numerous strategies have been developed to meet the increased demand for therapies regarding CVDs. This study aimed to establish a novel electrically conductive elastomer-based composite and assess its potential as a cardiac patch for myocardial tissue engineering. The electrically conductive carbon aerogels (CAs) used in this study were derived from waste paper as a cost-effective carbon source and they were combined with the biodegradable poly(glycerol-sebacate) (PGS) elastomer to obtain an electrically conductive cardiac patch material. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about the conductive composites obtained by the incorporation of CAs into PGS (CA-PGS). In this context, the incorporation of the CAs into the polymeric matrix significantly improved the elastic modulus (from 0.912 MPa for the pure PGS elastomer to 0.366 MPa for the CA-PGS) and the deformability (from 0.792 MPa for the pure PGS to 0.566 MPa for CA-PGS). Overall, the mechanical properties of the obtained structures were observed similar to the native myocardium. Furthermore, the addition of CAs made the obtained structures electrically conductive with a conductivity value of 65 × 10−3 S m−1 which falls within the range previously recorded for human myocardium. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay with L929 murine fibroblast cells revealed that the CA-PGS composite did not have cytotoxic characteristics. On the other hand, the studies conducted with H9C2 rat cardiac myoblasts revealed that final structures were suitable for MTE applications according to the successes in cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and cell behavior.

Noninvasive manipulation of cell adhesion for cell harvesting with piezoelectric composite film

Cell sheet harvesting has recently emerged as a promising strategy for scaffold-free cell transplantation and tissue engineering. It is critical to achieve the disconnection between cell and its adherent support while maintaining the availability of cell sheet. Hence, the regulation of cell adhesion behavior often becomes the primary consideration for designing biomaterials used for cell sheet harvesting. The stimuli-responsive biomaterials can rationally modulate cell behaviors, especially adhesion performance. However, modulation of cell adhesion through noninvasive and highly efficient method is still greatly needed. Herein, a noninvasive low-intensity ultrasound-mediated cell harvesting is demonstrated based on the piezoelectric effect of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/barium titanate (BaTiO3, BTO) composite film with superior electromechanical conversion ability. We found that the piezoelectric effect triggered by ultrasound (US) can modulate the absorption and secondary structure of adhesive protein fibronectin (FN) on the composite film, which further influenced cell adhesion force to finally obtain free-standing cell sheets. The detached cell sheets with accurate comtrol retained their viability and excellent proliferative capability. These findings highlight the ability of the piezoelectric biomaterials for cell sheet engineering to serve as a noninvasive and accurately controllable platform via regulating surface protein adsorption and conformation, which indicates great application prospect of this piezoelectricity-based cell harvesting method in regenerative medicine.

Photo-crosslinkable chitosan and gelatin-based nanohybrid bioinks for extrusion-based 3D-bioprinting

In the last decade, 3D-bioprinting has attracted attention due to its capability to produce complex scaffolds. The selection of suitable biomaterials for the bioink design is very important for the success of 3D-bioprinting. In this study, chitosan and gelatin were chemically modified into methacrylated chitosan (ChiMA) and methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) with the methacrylic anhydride in order to obtain crosslinking points on the polymeric backbone. The eligible bioinks were formulated with the layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (LDHs). The effect of changing the amount of LDHs on the printability of the bioinks was evaluated by using rheological analysis and printability test with the extrusion-based 3D-bioprinting. The bioinks were crosslinked under UV light. Mechanical, swelling, degradation properties, and cell-adhesion behaviors of the obtained ChiMA/GelMA nanohybrid scaffolds containing LDHs were investigated. Based on the rheology and the printing results, ChiMA/GelMA nanohybrid scaffold containing 5% LDHs (ChiMA-G5) was found to be the optimal bioink. Notably, compression strength, elongation at break, and elastic modulus of ChiMA-G5 scaffold were higher than neat and other ChiMA/GelMA scaffolds. In vitro cell culture studies showed that LDHs do not have any negative effects. These findings indicate that the developed ChiMA-G5 bioink has great potential as a bioink to utilize for tissue engineering applications.

The Open Cell Form of 3D-Printed Titanium Improves Osteconductive Properties and Adhesion Behavior of Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

Titanium specimens have been proven to be safe and effective biomaterials in terms of their osseo-integration. To improve the bioactivity and develop customized implants titanium, the surface can be modified with selective laser melting (SLM). Moreover, the design of macro-porous structures has become popular for reaching a durable bone fixation. 3D-printed titanium (Titanium A, B, and C), were cleaned using an organic acid treatment or with electrochemical polishing, and were characterized in terms of their surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy. Next, Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) were cultured on titanium in order to analyze their biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and osteoconductive properties. All tested specimens were biocompatible, due to the time-dependent increase of DPSC proliferation paralleled by the decrease of LDH released. Furthermore, data highlighted that the open cell form with interconnected pores of titanium A, resembling the inner structure of the native bone, allows cells to better adhere inside the specimen, being proteins related to cell adherence highly expressed. Likewise, titanium A displays more suitable osteoconductive properties, being the profile of osteogenic markers improved compared to titanium B and C. The present work has demonstrated that the inner design and post-production treatments on titanium surfaces have a dynamic influence on DPSC behavior toward adhesion and osteogenic commitment.

A Personalized Multifunctional 3D Printed Shape Memory‐Displaying, Drug Releasing Tracheal Stent

AbstractThe ability to engineer custom‐made medical devices and to implant them minimally invasively are two important trends in modern surgery. The personalization of the device is achieved by 3D printing it, while the capacity to deploy it minimally invasively harnesses the shape memory behavior displayed by the inks used. This study introduces a 3D printed, shape memory‐displaying tracheal stent based on novel, flexible photo‐polymerizable inks comprising polypropylene glycol/polycaprolactone triblocks. This research introduces the in situ welding strategy, whereby thin and flexible layers of the stent are separately printed, sequentially deployed, and then welded together at the tracheal site. By doing so, the insertion profile of the device is dramatically reduced and its flexibility largely increased. Porous stents are 3D printed seeking to prevent mucus plugging. By combining more than one ink, their properties are further fine‐tuned. Polyethylene glycol chains are covalently bonded to the stent surface to minimize biofilm formation, an important drawback of current tracheal stents. The in vitro cell viability and cell adhesion behavior of the treated surfaces reveal their compatibility and anti‐adhesive behavior. In order to prevent implant‐related infections, ciprofloxacin is added to the ink, and released in vitro over time, rendering the stent with antibacterial activity.

Host-Guest Chemistry Triggered Differential HeLa Cell Behavior Based on Pillar[5]arene-Modified Graphene Oxide Surfaces.

The regulation of surface wettability and cell adhesion behavior in a mild and unperturbed state at the interface remains a challenging task. To address this task, we adopt a strategy, based on bridging the host-guest recognition capacities of pillar[5]arene and good attachment for cell adhesion abilities of graphene oxide, to construct a smart pillar[5]arene triazole-linked naphthalene-modified graphene oxide interface. The hybrid surface exhibited a good stimuli-responsive selectivity toward arginine, as demonstrated by the wettability and cell adhesion behavior. Further studies at molecular levels indicated that the recognition mechanism of arginine was probably due to the formation of a host-guest complex driven by π-π stacking interactions between the cavity of pillar[5]arenes and arginine, which eventually resulted in the change in surface wettability and cellular adhesion behavior. It not only signifies a host-guest interaction strategy for the design of smart devices via the host-guest effect but also inspires the design of high-performance biointerface for affinity-adherent cells without exposing cells to harsh physical and chemical conditions.

Biocompatibility pathways and mechanisms for bioactive materials: The bioactivity zone

This essay analyzes the scientific evidence that forms the basis of bioactive materials, covering the fundamental understanding of bioactivity phenomena and correlation with the mechanisms of biocompatibility of biomaterials. This is a detailed assessment of performance in areas such as bone-induction, cell adhesion, immunomodulation, thrombogenicity and antimicrobial behavior. Bioactivity is the modulation of biological activity by characteristics of the interfacial region that incorporates the material surface and the immediate local host tissue. Although the term ‘bioactive material’ is widely used and has a well understood general meaning, it would be useful now to concentrate on this interfacial region, considered as ‘the bioactivity zone’. Bioactivity phenomena are either due to topographical/micromechanical characteristics, or to biologically active species that are presented in the bioactivity zone. Examples of topographical/micromechanical effects are the modulation of the osteoblast – osteoclast balance, nanotopographical regulation of cell adhesion, and bactericidal nanostructures. Regulation of bioactivity by biologically active species include their influence, especially of metal ions, on signaling pathways in bone formation, the role of cell adhesion molecules and bioactive peptides in cell attachment, macrophage polarization by immunoregulatory molecules and antimicrobial peptides. While much experimental data exists to demonstrate the potential of such phenomena, there are considerable barriers to their effective clinical translation. This essay shows that there is solid scientific evidence of the existence of bioactivity mechanisms that are associated with some types of biomaterials, especially when the material is modified in a manner designed to specifically induce that activity.

Adhesion of Neurons and Glial Cells with Nanocolumnar TiN Films for Brain-Machine Interfaces.

Coupling of cells to biomaterials is a prerequisite for most biomedical applications; e.g., neuroelectrodes can only stimulate brain tissue in vivo if the electric signal is transferred to neurons attached to the electrodes’ surface. Besides, cell survival in vitro also depends on the interaction of cells with the underlying substrate materials; in vitro assays such as multielectrode arrays determine cellular behavior by electrical coupling to the adherent cells. In our study, we investigated the interaction of neurons and glial cells with different electrode materials such as TiN and nanocolumnar TiN surfaces in contrast to gold and ITO substrates. Employing single-cell force spectroscopy, we quantified short-term interaction forces between neuron-like cells (SH-SY5Y cells) and glial cells (U-87 MG cells) for the different materials and contact times. Additionally, results were compared to the spreading dynamics of cells for different culture times as a function of the underlying substrate. The adhesion behavior of glial cells was almost independent of the biomaterial and the maximum growth areas were already seen after one day; however, adhesion dynamics of neurons relied on culture material and time. Neurons spread much better on TiN and nanocolumnar TiN and also formed more neurites after three days in culture. Our designed nanocolumnar TiN offers the possibility for building miniaturized microelectrode arrays for impedance spectroscopy without losing detection sensitivity due to a lowered self-impedance of the electrode. Hence, our results show that this biomaterial promotes adhesion and spreading of neurons and glial cells, which are important for many biomedical applications in vitro and in vivo.

Effect of bound water content on cell adhesion strength to water-insoluble polymers

Adhesion of cells on biomaterials plays an essential role in modulating cellular functions. Although hydration of biomaterials occurs under biological conditions, it is challenging to systematically evaluate the correlation of hydrated water content in biomaterials with the cell adhesion strength. In this report, we investigated the effect of bound water content on the adhesion strength of cells on poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) analogue substrates. Water-insoluble PMEA analogues were synthesized to fabricate substrates with a systemically controlled bound water content. To assess the surface properties of their substrates, contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and fluorescence measurement were conducted. To reflect the effect of bound water of PMEA analogues, the relationship between the bound water content and cell adhesion behavior was evaluated under serum-free condition. From the single cell force spectrometry (SCFS) and microscopic analysis, it revealed that the increment of bound water content on the substrates decreased cell adhesion strength and cell spreading on the substrates. The bound water content exhibited a good correlation with adhesion strength, spreading area, circularity, and aspect ratio of cells. Our findings indicate that the bound water content could contribute to the development of a novel biomaterial and evaluation of cell behaviors on biomaterials. Statement of significanceFor coordinating cell functions, such as growth, mobility, and differentiation, modulating the adhesion strength between cells and their environments is important. Although the hydration to biomaterials has been reported to be closely related to a antifouling property, the effect of hydration water on the cell adhesion behavior is not well understood. We present the first demonstration of essential relationship between cell adhesion strength and hydrated water on a biomaterials surface using the water-insoluble polymers with different hydrated water content. The results reveal that the hydrated water content of polymer substrates strong correlation with adhesion strength of cells. Collectively, the hydrated water content of the biomaterials will be a predominant factor affecting the cell adhesion strength and behavior.

Light-induced osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs with graphene/TiO2 composite coating on Ti implant

Light-induced surface potential have been demonstrated as an effective bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) osteogenic differentiation regulator. However, traditional bone repair implants almost were weak or no light-responsive. Fortunately, surface modification was a feasible strategy to realize its light functionalization for bone implants. Herein, a graphene oxide (GO)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanodots composite coating on the surface of titanium (Ti) implant was constructed, and GO was reduced to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with the method of UV-assisted photocatalytic reduction. After rGO deposited on the surface of TiO2, a heterojunction formed at the interface of rGO and TiO2. With visible light illumination, positive charges accumulated on the surface of rGO/TiO2 film, and performed as a positive surface potential change. The light-induced surface potential which was generated under proper light intensity is harmless to the cell adhesion and proliferation behavior, but presented a good BMSCs osteogenic differentiation promoting effect, and the activation of the voltage-gated calcium channels through surface potential and the promotion of the adsorption of osteogenic growth factors could be the reason. This work given a new insight of the modification for Ti implant with a light-induced surface potential, and shows potential application for bone regeneration on the clinical practice through light stimulation.

Studying dynamic stress effects on the behaviour of THP-1 cells by microfluidic channels

Atherosclerosis is a long-term disease process of the vascular system that is characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, which are inflammatory regions on medium and large-sized arteries. There are many factors contributing to plaque formation, such as changes in shear stress levels, rupture of endothelial cells, accumulation of lipids, and recruitment of leukocytes. Shear stress is one of the main factors that regulates the homeostasis of the circulatory system; therefore, sudden and chronic changes in shear stress may cause severe pathological conditions. In this study, microfluidic channels with cavitations were designed to mimic the shape of the atherosclerotic blood vessel, where the shear stress and pressure difference depend on design of the microchannels. Changes in the inflammatory-related molecules ICAM-1 and IL-8 were investigated in THP-1 cells in response to applied shear stresses in an continuous cycling system through microfluidic channels with periodic cavitations. ICAM-1 mRNA expression and IL-8 release were analyzed by qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. Additionally, the adhesion behavior of sheared THP-1 cells to endothelial cells was examined by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that 15 Pa shear stress significantly increases expression of ICAM-1 gene and IL-8 release in THP-1 cells, whereas it decreases the adhesion between THP-1 cells and endothelial cells.

Superior Alignment of Human iPSC-Osteoblasts Associated with Focal Adhesion Formation Stimulated by Oriented Collagen Scaffold.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be applied in patient-specific cell therapy to regenerate lost tissue or organ function. Anisotropic control of the structural organization in the newly generated bone matrix is pivotal for functional reconstruction during bone tissue regeneration. Recently, we revealed that hiPSC-derived osteoblasts (hiPSC-Obs) exhibit preferential alignment and organize in highly ordered bone matrices along a bone-mimetic collagen scaffold, indicating their critical role in regulating the unidirectional cellular arrangement, as well as the structural organization of regenerated bone tissue. However, it remains unclear how hiPSCs exhibit the cell properties required for oriented tissue construction. The present study aimed to characterize the properties of hiPSCs-Obs and those of their focal adhesions (FAs), which mediate the structural relationship between cells and the matrix. Our in vitro anisotropic cell culture system revealed the superior adhesion behavior of hiPSC-Obs, which exhibited accelerated cell proliferation and better cell alignment along the collagen axis compared to normal human osteoblasts. Notably, the oriented collagen scaffold stimulated FA formation along the scaffold collagen orientation. This is the first report of the superior cell adhesion behavior of hiPSC-Obs associated with the promotion of FA assembly along an anisotropic scaffold. These findings suggest a promising role for hiPSCs in enabling anisotropic bone microstructural regeneration.

Investigation of the influence of TiO2 distribution on HA/TiO2 composite wetting ability using the dispersant SDBS, high-temperature annealing, and ultrasonication

The use of composites such as hydroxyapatite (HA)/TiO2 in bioapplications has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Herein, for the enhancement wetting ability and biocompatibility, the HA/TiO2 composite was subjected to different treatments to improve nanoparticle (NP) distribution and surface energy with an aim of mitigating nanotoxicity concerns. The treatments included ultrasonication, high-temperature annealing, and addition of a dispersant and surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). Contact angle measurement tests revealed the effect of SDBS addition on the distribution of TiO2 NPs on the HA surface: a decrease in the contact angle and, thus, an increase in the wetting ability of the HA/TiO2 composite were observed. The combination of annealing and SDBS addition treatments allowed for guest TiO2 particles to be uniformly distributed on the surface of the host HA particles, showing a rapid conversion from a hydrophobic to superhydrophilic property. In vitro investigation suggested that the cell viabilities of annealed HA/TiO2, SDBS-added HA/TiO2, and SDBS-added and annealed HA/TiO2 reached 89.7%, 94.7%, and 95.8%, respectively, while those of HA and untreated HA/TiO2 were 80.3% and 86.9%, respectively. The modified composites exhibited lower cytotoxicities than the unmodified systems (HA and HA/TiO2). Furthermore, the cell adhesion behavior of the composites was confirmed through actin-4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, which showed negligible changes in the cytoskeleton architecture of the cells. This study confirmed that a modified HA/TiO2 composite has potential for bioapplications.

Well-Defined Nanostructured Biointerfaces: Strengthened Cellular Interaction for Circulating Tumor Cells Isolation.

The topographic features at the cell-material biointerface are critical for cellular sensing of the extracellular environment (ECM) and have gradually been recognized as key factors that regulate cell adhesion behavior. Herein, a well-defined nanostructured biointerface is fabricated via a new generation of mussel-inspired polymer coating to mimic the native ECM structures. Upon the bioinert background presence and biospecific ligands conjugation, the affinity of cancer cells to the resulting biofunctional surfaces, which integrate topographic features and biochemical cues, is greatly strengthened. Both the conjugated bioligand density, filopodia formation, and focal adhesion expression are significantly enhanced by the surficial nano-features with an optimized size-scale. Thus, this nanostructured biointerface exhibits high capture efficiency for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with high sensitivity, high biospecificity, and high purity. Benefiting from the unique bioligands conjugation chemistry herein, the captured cancer cells can be responsively detached from the biointerfaces without damage for downstream analysis. The present biofunctional nanostructured interfaces offer a good solution to address current challenges to efficiently isolate rare CTCs from blood samples for earlier cancer diagnosis.