In this study, cross-linked materials were prepared using the branched macromonomer with different CL/LA molar ratios, and feasibility studies for tissue engineering were carried out. The thermal and mechanical properties of these materials depended on the CL/LA compositions; however, there was no change in the wettability of each material. The HeLa cells adhesion and growth on the CL-LA7030c were equal to that on the commercially available polystyrene dish. The protein absorption experiment using the FBS proteins revealed that the materials with well-grown cells showed better adhesion of the proteins. [photo: see text]

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In the pharmaceutical industry, primary cultured hepatocytes is a standard tool used to assess hepatic metabolisms and toxicity in vitro. Drawbacks, however, include their functional deterioration upon isolation, mostly due to the lack of a physiological environment. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been reported to improve the function of isolated hepatocytes by its high oxygen permeability when used as a material of microphysiological systems (MPS). However, its high chemical sorption property has impeded its practical use in drug development. In this study, we evaluated a new culture material, 4-polymethyl-1-pentene polymer (PMP), in comparison with PDMS and conventional tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). First, we confirmed the high oxygen permeability and low sorption of PMP, and these properties were comparable with PDMS and TCPS, respectively. Moreover, using primary rat hepatocytes, we demonstrated maintained high levels of liver function at least for 1 week on PMP, with its low chemical sorption and high oxygen permeability being key factors in both revealing the potential of primary cultured hepatocytes and in performing an accurate evaluation of hepatic metabolisms. Taken together, we conclude that PMP is a superior alternative to both PDMS and TCPS, and a promising material for a variety of drug testing systems.