Isotropic Versus Bipolar Functionalized Biomimetic Artificial Basement Membranes and Their Evaluation in Long-Term Human Cell Co-Culture.
In addition to dividing tissues into compartments, basement membranes are crucial as cell substrates and to regulate cellular behavior. The development of artificial basement membranes is indispensable for the ultimate formation of functional engineered tissues; however, pose a challenge due to their complex structure. Herein, biodegradable electrospun polyester meshes are presented, exhibiting isotropic or bipolar bioactivation as a biomimetic and biofunctional model of the natural basement membrane. In a one-step preparation process, reactive star-shaped prepolymer additives, which generate a hydrophilic fiber surface, are electrospun with cell-adhesion-mediating peptides, derived from major components of the basement membrane. Human skin cells adhere to the functionalized meshes, and long-term co-culture experiments confirm that the artificial basement membranes recapitulate and preserve tissue specific functions. Several layers of immortalized human keratinocytes grow on the membranes, differentiating toward the surface and expressing typical epithelial markers. Fibroblasts migrate into the reticular lamina mimicking part of the mesh. Both cells types begin to produce extracellular matrix proteins and to remodel the initial membrane. It is shown at the example of skin that the artificial basement membrane design provokes biomimetic responses of different cell types and can thus be used as basis for the future development of basement membrane containing tissues.
Chair for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University of Würzburg, Translational Center Würzburg "Regenerative Therapies in Oncology and Musculoskeletal Diseases", Würzburg Branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Röntgenring 11, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.|Chair for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Angela
A
Rossi
Chair for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Laura
L
Wistlich
Chair for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Karl-Heinz
KH
Heffels
Chair for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University of Würzburg, Translational Center Würzburg "Regenerative Therapies in Oncology and Musculoskeletal Diseases", Würzburg Branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Röntgenring 11, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Heike
H
Walles
Chair for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Jürgen
J
Groll
D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male
artificial basement membranes; biomimetic; bipolar; electrospinning; tissue engineering