The surface of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) films deposited on glass coverslips was modified with poly(DL-lactide) (PDLLA), or 1:4 mixtures of PDLLA and PDLLA-b-PEO block copolymers, in which either none, 5% or 20% of the copolymer molecules carried a synthetic extracellular matrix-derived ligand for integrin adhesion receptors, the GRGDSG oligopeptide, attached to the end of the PEO chain. The materials, perspective for vascular tissue engineering, were seeded with rat aortic smooth muscle cells (11,000 cells/cm(2)) and the adhesion, spreading, DNA synthesis and proliferation of these cells was followed on inert and bioactive surfaces. In 24-h-old cultures in serum-supplemented media, the number of cells adhering to the PDLLA-b-PEO copolymer was almost eight times lower than that on the control PDLLA surface. On the surfaces containing 5% and 20% GRGDSG-PEO-b-PDLLA copolymer, the number of cells increased 6- and 3-fold respectively, compared to the PDLLA-b-PEO copolymer alone. On PDLLA-b-PEO copolymer alone, the cells were typically round and non-spread, whereas on GRGDSG-modified surfaces the cell spreading areas approached those found on PDLLA, reaching values of 991 microm(2) and 611 microm(2) for 5% and 20% GRGDSG respectively, compared to 958 microm(2) for PDLLA. The cells on GRGDSG-grafted copolymers were able to form vinculin-containing focal adhesion plaques, to synthesize DNA and even proliferate in a serum-free medium, which indicates specific binding to the GRGDSG sequences through their adhesion receptors.

• MeSH
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible administration & dosage   chemistry   MeSH
• Cell Adhesion drug effects   MeSH
• Cell Culture Techniques methods   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Cells, Cultured MeSH
• Myocytes, Smooth Muscle cytology   drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Oligopeptides administration & dosage   chemistry   MeSH
• Polyesters chemistry   MeSH
• Rats, Wistar MeSH
• Surface Properties MeSH
• Cell Proliferation drug effects   MeSH
• Muscle, Smooth, Vascular cytology   drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Materials Testing MeSH
• Tissue Engineering methods   MeSH
• Cell Survival drug effects   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid MeSH Browser
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible MeSH
• Oligopeptides MeSH
• poly(lactide) MeSH Browser
• Polyesters MeSH