title: Endothelial cell responses in terms of adhesion, proliferation, and morphology to stiffness of polydimethylsiloxane elastomer substrates.
abstract: Extracellular environments can regulate cell behavior because cells can actively sense their mechanical environments. This study evaluated the adhesion, proliferation and morphology of endothelial cells on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/alumina (Al2 O3 ) composites and pure PDMS. The substrates were prepared from pure PDMS and its composites with 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt % Al2 O3 at a curing temperature of 50°C for 4 h. The substrates were then characterized by mechanical, structural, and morphological analyses. The cell adhesion, proliferation, and morphology of cultured bovine aortic endothelial (BAEC) cells on substrate materials were evaluated by using resazurin assay and 1,1'-dioctadecyl-1,3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate-acetylated LDL (Dil-Ac-LDL) cell staining, respectively. The composites (PDMS/2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt % Al2 O3 ) exhibited higher stiffness than the pure PDMS substrate. The results also revealed that stiffer substrates promoted endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation and also induced spread morphology in the endothelial cells compared with lesser stiff substrates. Statistical analysis showed that the effect of time on cell proliferation depended on stiffness. Therefore, this study concludes that the addition of different Al2 O3 percentages to PDMS elevated substrate stiffness which in turn increased endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation significantly and induced spindle shape morphology in endothelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Forough
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ataollahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pramanik
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moradi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Adel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dalilottojari
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pingguan-Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Wan Abu Bakar
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Wan Abas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Noor Azuan
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Abu Osman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D020724:Elastomers; C013830:baysilon
keywords: bovine aortic endothelial cells; extra cellular matrix; proliferation; stiffness; vessels