title: Photopatterned polymer brushes promoting cell adhesion gradients.
abstract: The ability to spatially control cellular adhesion in a continuous manner on a biocompatible substrate is an important factor in designing new biomaterials for use in wound healing and tissue engineering applications. In this work, a novel method of engineering cell-adhesive RGD-ligand density gradients to control specific cell adhesion across a substrate is presented. Polymer brushes exhibiting spatially defined gradients in chain density are created and subsequently functionalized with RGD to create ligand density gradients capable of inducing cell adhesion on an otherwise weakly adhesive substrate. Cell studies indicate that these ligand-functionalized surfaces are noncytotoxic, with cellular adhesion increasing with RGD-ligand density across the gradient brush surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Jaishankar K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kutty
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.forename: Charles K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Karen J L
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Burg
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Metters
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D051379:Mice; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid