Surface Design of Antifouling Vascular Constructs Bearing Biofunctional Peptides for Tissue Regeneration Applications

Abstract

Antifouling polymer layers containing extracellular matrix-derived peptide motifs offer promising new options for biomimetic surface engineering. In this contribution, we report the design of antifouling vascular grafts bearing biofunctional peptide motifs for tissue regeneration applications based on hierarchical polymer brushes. Hierarchical diblock poly(methyl ether oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate-block-glycidyl methacrylate) brushes bearing azide groups (poly(MeOEGMA-block-GMA-N3)) were grown by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) and functionalized with biomimetic RGD peptide sequences. Varying the conditions of copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide “click” reaction allowed for the immobilization of RGD peptides in a wide surface concentration range. The synthesized hierarchical polymer brushes bearing peptide motifs were characterized in detail using various surface sensitive physicochemical methods. The hierarchical brushes presenting the RGD sequences provided excellent cell adhesion properties and at the same time remained resistant to fouling from blood plasma. The synthesis of anti-fouling hierarchical brushes bearing 1.2 × 103 nmol/cm2 RGD biomimetic sequences has been adapted for the surface modification of commercially available grafts of woven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers. The fiber mesh was endowed with polymerization initiator groups via aminolysis and acylation reactions optimized for the material. The obtained bioactive antifouling vascular grafts promoted the specific adhesion and growth of endothelial cells, thus providing a potential avenue for endothelialization of artificial conduits.

Direct and Indirect Biomimetic Peptide Modification of Alginate: Efficiency, Side Reactions, and Cell Response

“…The results of NMR analysis are in good agreement with XPS data, where one can observe the appearance of strong amide contributions at 399.8 eV in the N 1s spectrum and at the same time the absence of the signal at about 404.5 eV highly characteristic of the free azide group ( Figure 9 ) [ 37 , 38 ]. Additionally, from the XPS spectra, it is possible to assess the increasing amount of nitrogen while the profile of the carbon signals is changing, which indicates conjugation of the nitrogen-rich peptide.…”

Interaction between Galectin-3 and Integrins Mediates Cell-Matrix Adhesion in Endothelial Cells and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…Gal-3 biofunctionalization of relatively bioinert materials used for vascular prostheses could lead to a better cell adhesion, as observed in the case of ADSCs and HUVECs in our in vitro experiments. The biofunctionalization of biomaterials with Gal-3 could be used as a novel alternative approach to the functionalization with short ECM-derived oligopeptides, which serve as ligands for integrin adhesion receptors and which have been widely investigated for the improved endothelialization of vascular replacements based on synthetic polymers [ 61 , 62 ] or decellularized matrices [ 63 ]. Furthermore, due to its positive role in angiogenesis [ 16 ], Gal-3 could also be utilized in broader tissue engineering applications.…”

New trends in the development of multifunctional peptides to functionalize biomaterials

“…Such problem may be minimized by modifying the grafts with peptides to reduce non-specific protein adsorption. 38,39 In bone regeneration, the use of BMP-2-derived peptides is also of crucial importance to promote osteodifferentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and guide bone formation. 40,41 Another important aspect when implanting a biomaterial is to avoid bacterial adhesion, which ultimately may lead to implant infection.…”