title: New class of ultrathin, highly cell-adhesion-resistant polyelectrolyte multilayers with micropatterning capabilities.
abstract: Hydrogen-bonded multilayers comprised of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and a weak polyelectrolyte, such as poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA), were investigated for their surface-cell interactions. The assembled films were lightly cross-linked thermally or photochemically in order to render them stable in a physiological environment. Both PAA/PAAm and PMA/PAAm multilayers were found to exhibit a high resistance to the adhesion (cytophobicity) of mammalian fibroblasts, even with only a single bilayer coating. Protein adsorption to the multilayers, as revealed by surface plasmon resonance measurements, was greatly reduced for fibronectin and serum-containing medium. In situ swelling experiments indicate that the H-bonded multilayers are hydrogellike coatings capable of a high level of swelling in buffered solution. Utilizing the H-bonding nature of these multilayers, we were able to micropattern the films to create more complex cell-resistant/-adhesive surfaces. The long-term stability of the cell-resistant multilayers was found to be exceptionally good even under conditions (pH 7.4, buffered solution) where a high degree of swelling takes place. No degradation of the micropatterned films was observed over a period of a month, during which time the multilayer coatings remained highly resistant to cell-adhesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139.
authors.forename: Sung Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jonas D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Mendelsohn
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Rubner
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008832:Microchemistry; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D011791:Quartz; D055672:Static Electricity; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D013499:Surface Properties; D000099166:Polyacrylamides
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D004573:Electrolytes; D006859:Hydrogen; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; D011791:Quartz; D000099166:Polyacrylamides; C006903:carbopol 940