title: Acetylated bacterial cellulose coated with urinary bladder matrix as a substrate for retinal pigment epithelium.
abstract: This work evaluated the effect of acetylated bacterial cellulose (ABC) substrates coated with urinary bladder matrix (UBM) on the behavior of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), as assessed by cell adhesion, proliferation and development of cell polarity exhibiting transepithelial resistance and polygonal shaped-cells with microvilli. Acetylation of bacterial cellulose (BC) generated a moderate hydrophobic surface (around 65°) while the adsorption of UBM onto these acetylated substrates did not affect significantly the surface hydrophobicity. The ABS substrates coated with UBM enabled the development of a cell phenotype closer to that of native RPE cells. These cells were able to express proteins essential for their cytoskeletal organization and metabolic function (ZO-1 and RPE65), while showing a polygonal shaped morphology with microvilli and a monolayer configuration. The coated ABC substrates were also characterized, exhibiting low swelling effect (between 1.5-2.0 swelling/mm(3)), high mechanical strength (2048MPa) and non-pyrogenicity (2.12EU/L). Therefore, the ABC substrates coated with UBM exhibit interesting features as potential cell carriers in RPE transplantation that ought to be further explored.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Centre of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, IBILI-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-354 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Inês Patrício
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Padrão
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: João Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Center/Department of Physics, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sencadas
authors.affiliation: Center/Department of Physics, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Senentxu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lanceros-Mendez
authors.affiliation: Centre of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, IBILI-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-354 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Girão
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Francisco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gama
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dourado
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: lrmr@deb.uminho.pt.
authors.forename: Lígia R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D016764:Cell Polarity; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015870:Gene Expression; D041822:Gluconacetobacter xylinus / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D010641:Phenotype; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D019459:Urothelium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019745:cis-trans-Isomerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000099178:Retinoid Isomerohydrolase
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002482:Cellulose; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D019745:cis-trans-Isomerases; D000099178:Retinoid Isomerohydrolase; C569042:TJP1 protein, human
keywords: Acetylated bacterial cellulose; Retinal degenerative diseases; Retinal pigment epithelium; Urinary bladder matrix