Mucins are multifunctional
glycosylated proteins that are increasingly investigated as building
blocks of novel biomaterials. An attractive feature is their ability
to modulate the immune response, in part by engaging with sialic acid
binding receptors on immune cells. Once assembled into hydrogels,
bovine submaxillary mucins (Muc gels) were shown to modulate the recruitment
and activation of immune cells and avoid fibrous encapsulation in vivo. However, nothing is known about the early immune
response to Muc gels. This study characterizes the response of macrophages,
important orchestrators of the material-mediated immune response,
over the first 7 days in contact with Muc gels. The role of mucin-bound
sialic acid sugar residues was investigated by first enzymatically
cleaving the sugar and then assembling the mucin variants into covalently
cross-linked hydrogels with rheological and surface nanomechanical
properties similar to nonmodified Muc gels. Results with THP-1 and
human primary peripheral blood monocytes derived macrophages showed
that Muc gels transiently activate the expression of both pro-inflammatory
and anti-inflammatory cytokines and cell surface markers, for most
makers with a maximum on the first day and loss of the effect after
7 days. The activation was sialic acid-dependent for a majority of
the markers followed. The pattern of gene expression, protein expression,
and functional measurements did not strictly correspond to M1 or M2
macrophage phenotypes. This study highlights the complex early events
in macrophage activation in contact with mucin materials and the importance
of sialic acid residues in such a response. The enzymatic glyco-modulation
of Muc gels appears as a useful tool to help understand the biological
functions of specific glycans on mucins which can further inform on
their use in various biomedical applications.