title: General functionalization route for cell adhesion on non-wetting surfaces.
abstract: We present a versatile route for promoting cell adhesion and viability on various non-wetting surfaces, inspired by mussel adhesion mechanism. The oxidative polymerization of dopamine, a small designer molecule of the DOPA-K motif found in mussels, results in the formation of a poly(dopamine) ad-layer on any material surface. We found that the poly(dopamine) coating can promote cell adhesion on any type of material surfaces including the well-known anti-adhesive substrate, poly(tetrafluoroethylene). According to our results, mammalian cells well adhered and underwent general cell adhesion processes (i.e., attachment to substrate, spreading, and cytoskeleton development) on poly(dopamine)-modified surfaces, while they barely adhered and spread on unmodified non-wetting surfaces. The mussel-inspired surface functionalization strategy is extremely useful because it does not require the time-consuming synthesis of complex linkers and the process is solvent-free and non-toxic. Therefore, it can be a powerful route for converting a variety of bioinert substrates into bioactive ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sook Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: Jungki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Seon Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Haeshin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chan Beum
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D048430:Cell Shape; D002470:Cell Survival; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D016716:PC12 Cells; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D051381:Rats; D017155:Wettability / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine