title: Human chondrocyte morphology, its dedifferentiation, and fibronectin conformation on different PLLA microtopographies.
abstract: Surfaces of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) of well-defined microtopography were prepared by making use of the semicrystalline character of PLLA. Different thermal treatments before isothermal crystallization (which include nucleation steps) permit to obtain a controlled number of simultaneously growing spherulites, which, in the end, modulate the topography at the microscale. Four qualitatively different surfaces were prepared. The dynamics of primary human chondrocyte adhesion and cytoskeleton organization was investigated on the different surfaces. Chondrocyte morphology is shown to be influenced by the microtopography of the system as obtained by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cytoplasmatic distribution of a focal adhesion protein, tensin, is followed as a function of time. Since the effect of surface topography on cell morphology is a consequence of the process of interaction between the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, adsorbed on the surface of the material, and related cell adhesion molecules, the conformation of one ECM protein, fibronectin, adsorbed on the different substrates was investigated by means of AFM.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Costa Martínez
authors.forename: Jose Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Hernández
authors.forename: Margarida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: João F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mano
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gómez Ribelles
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monleón Pradas
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salmerón Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D000070876:Tensins; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005353:Fibronectins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D011108:Polymers; D000070876:Tensins; D019344:Lactic Acid