Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4
Tethering of short bioadhesive peptides onto nonfouling surfaces supports cell-
adhesive activities.
A
Schematic diagram showing specific integrin binding to bioadhesive
RGD motif.
B
RGD immobilization onto nonfouling support promotes cell adhesion and
spreading
and expression of differentiated phenotypes in multiple cellular systems. The
density of tethered peptides is an important design parameter as cell adhe-
sion, focal adhesion assembly, spreading and migration, neurite extension,
and cell differentiation exhibit peptide-density-dependent effects [54-61].
More importantly, these biomimetic approaches enhance tissue regeneration
in vivo, including as bone and cartilage formation, peripheral-nerve regener-
ation, and corneal tissue repair [62-67].
The use of short oligopeptides derived from ECM biomolecules presents
advantages over the native biomolecules, such as conveying biospecificity
while avoiding unwanted interactions with other regions of the native ligand,
facile incorporation into synthetic and natural backbones under conditions
incompatible with most biomacromolecules, and enhanced stability. The
early successes with biomaterials displaying short bioadhesive oligopeptides
established the potential of this biomolecular engineering strategy as a route
to generate biointerfaces that interact with cells in prescribed and specific
fashions. Nonetheless, functionalization of biomaterials with short bioadhe-
sive motifs is limited by (i) reduced activity of oligopeptides compared to
native biomacromolecule due to the absence of complementary or modu-
