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The Shull Group |
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58. "Axisymmetric Adhesion Test To Examine the Interfacial Interactions between Biologically-Modified Networks and Models of the Extracellular Matrix" Stile, R.A.; Shull, K.R.; Healy, K.E., Langmuir, 19, 1853 (2003).
The adhesion between artificial extracellular matrixes (ECMs), or scaffolds, and native tissue is an often overlooked component of the tissue engineering design process. Therefore, we developed an axisym. adhesion test method to examine the interfacial interactions between hydrogel scaffolds and a model of the articular cartilage ECM. Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs), consisting of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)] hydrogels and phys. entangled linear P(AAc) chains grafted with peptides that bind to hyaluronic acid (HA), were synthesized, and the adhesion between the P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)-based semi-IPNs and hemispherical glass lenses (plain or HA-grafted) was examd. as a function of temp., contact time, and semi-IPN type. The adhesion between the semi-IPNs and the lenses significantly increased with increasing contact time and significantly decreased with increasing temp., independent of the P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)-based matrix type. Furthermore, when using a 5-min contact time at 22 DegC, the peptide-modified P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)-based semi-IPNs demonstrated significantly greater adhesion to the HA-grafted lenses, compared to that exhibited between non-functionalized P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)-based semi-IPNs and HA-grafted lenses. The method developed is useful for examg. the interfacial interactions between biol. modified polymer scaffolds and models of the native ECM and may aid in improving the integration between synthetic polymers and native tissues.