Event Abstract Back to Event Effects of modified PEG scaffold-immobilized vascular endothelial growth factor C and chondromodulin-1 on endothelial cells Daniel Foyt1 and Roche Deguzman1 1 Hofstra University, Bioengineering Program, School of Engineering, United States Introduction: Poor vascular integration is one of the limiting factors in the development and functionalization of tissue-engineered products. In pursuit of a solution to this, we investigated different methods to potentially sustain and induce blood vessel and capillary growth into polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based gels and scaffolds. By incorporating cell-binding peptides, growth factors, and physical network features, PEG can become a bioactive platform facilitating cell adhesion, infiltration, and colonization. Materials and Methods: PEG-based gels were polymerized via reaction of PEG diacrylate (PEGDA), ammonium persulfate, and TEMED. Scaffolds were made by freezing of gels followed by lyophilization. Plasticizers were also incorporated with the PEG network to improve handling, gel mechanical properties, and protein absorption capacity. Growth factors: vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and chondromodulin-1 (Chm-1) were separately attached and thiolated using sulfosuccinimidyl 6-[3´(2-pyridyldithio)-propionamido] hexanoate (Sulfo-LC-SPDP) heterobifunctional crosslinker. These growth factors and adhesion peptides containing cysteine residues: RGD-C and REDV-C were covalently-linked to PEG through the thiol-ene reaction. PEG constructs were thoroughly rinsed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), then equilibrated with the culture medium. Human primary endothelial cells (hECs) were seeded onto gels and scaffolds and cultured at 37°C. Cells were viewed and counted daily under an inverted microscope. Live/Dead assay was performed after 1 week of culture and hECs tested for maintenance of endothelial cell markers. Results and Discussion: VEGF-C (Fig. 1) and Chm-1 were immobilized into the PEG network which provided minimal PBS medium release over time. PEG samples with VEGF-C, an inducer of lymphangiogenesis, promoted more hECs attachment and viability compared to those without the growth factor. There were more surviving cells on the scaffold structures than on gels, possibly due to increased porosity and culture medium protein adsorption leading indirect cell attachment. The presence of Chm-1, conversely, inhibited hECs cultured onto the PEG substrates. This suppression effect may be a key step in the Chm-1 bioactivity of inducing chondrocyte differentiation. Conclusion: Physical and biochemical alterations of PEG enabled endothelial cell attachment which was further enhanced by VEGF-C but downregulated by Chm-1. Subcutaneous implantation experiments are underway and may provide relevant data on angiogenesis and host-tissue integration for the development of vascular and avascular bioengineered scaffolds. Keywords: Tissue Engineering, biomaterial, growth factor, 3D scaffold Conference: 10th World Biomaterials Congress, Montréal, Canada, 17 May - 22 May, 2016. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Biomaterials in vascularization Citation: Foyt D and Deguzman R (2016). Effects of modified PEG scaffold-immobilized vascular endothelial growth factor C and chondromodulin-1 on endothelial cells. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. Conference Abstract: 10th World Biomaterials Congress. doi: 10.3389/conf.FBIOE.2016.01.00993 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 27 Mar 2016; Published Online: 30 Mar 2016. Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Daniel Foyt Roche Deguzman Google Daniel Foyt Roche Deguzman Google Scholar Daniel Foyt Roche Deguzman PubMed Daniel Foyt Roche Deguzman Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.