Effects of Structural Variations on the Cellular Response and Mechanical Properties of Biocompatible, Biodegradable, and Porous Smectic Liquid Crystal Elastomers.
The authors report on series of side-chain smectic liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) cell scaffolds based on star block-copolymers featuring 3-arm, 4-arm, and 6-arm central nodes. A particular focus of these studies is placed on the mechanical properties of these LCEs and their impact on cell response. The introduction of diverse central nodes allows to alter and custom-modify the mechanical properties of LCE scaffolds to values on the same order of magnitude of various tissues of interest. In addition, it is continued to vary the position of the LC pendant group. The central node and the position of cholesterol pendants in the backbone of ε-CL blocks (alpha and gamma series) affect the mechanical properties as well as cell proliferation and particularly cell alignment. Cell directionality tests are presented demonstrating that several LCE scaffolds show cell attachment, proliferation, narrow orientational dispersion of cells, and highly anisotropic cell growth on the as-synthesized LCE materials.
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Anshul
A
Sharma
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Taizo
T
Mori
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.|Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Cory J
CJ
Mahnen
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Heather R
HR
Everson
Macromolecular Science and Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7202, USA.
Michelle T
MT
Leslie
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.|Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Alek D
AD
Nielsen
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Laurent
L
Lussier
Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Chenhui
C
Zhu
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Christopher
C
Malcuit
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.|Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Torsten
T
Hegmann
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Jennifer A
JA
McDonough
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Ernest J
EJ
Freeman
Macromolecular Science and Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7202, USA.
LaShanda T J
LT
Korley
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Robert J
RJ
Clements
Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program (CPIP), Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.|Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.|Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
Elda
E
Hegmann
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D020405:Dermis / Q000166:cytology; D020724:Elastomers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D051379:Mice; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D016062:Porosity; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020724:Elastomers
3D porous scaffolds; cell alignment; cell directionality; liquid crystal elastomers; mechanics