Polypeptide resurfacing method improves fibroblast's adhesion to hyaluronan strands

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan, HyA) is a matrix component that takes part in cell adhesion and growth in normal and repaired tissues. Since it is soluble in water, HyA has been of limited use in tissue engineering of artificial matrices. Recent studies demonstrate that polypeptides have the twin advantages of reducing solubility of HyA and improving cellular attachment via cell surface adhesion molecule receptors. This paper describes a new approach of using a polypeptide resurfacing method to enhance the attachment of cells to HyA strands. HyA strands were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde and then resurfaced with poly-D-lysine, poly-L-lysine, glycine, or glutamine. After inoculation with fibroblasts in vitro, modified HyA was evaluated with histological and immunohistochemical staining methods for cell adhesion and proliferation. Modified HyA with fibroblast cells also were implanted in vivo. The results show that (1) both polylysines enhanced fibroblast adhesion to crosslinked HyA strands; (2) HyA strands were able to be crosslinked well by 3 days of treatment in glutaraldehyde, and as a biomaterial they could resist biodegradation; (3) modified HyA has good biocompatibility, both in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrate that HyA material resurfaced by polypeptides has positive advantages for cellular adhesion. Resurfaced HyA has much potential as an improved biomaterial for clinical usage. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 47, 79–84, 1999.