ABSTRACT
Nanofibers are thought to enhance cell adhesion, growth, and function. We demonstrate that the choice of building blocks in self-assembling nanofiber systems can be used to control cell behavior. The use of 2 D-coated, self-assembled nanofibers in controlling lens epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells was investigated, focusing on gene and protein expression related to the fibrotic response. To this end, three nanofibers with different characteristics (morphology, topography, and wettability) were compared with two standard materials frequently used in culturing cells, TCPS, and a collagen type I coating. Cell metabolic activity, cell morphology, and gene and protein expression were analyzed. The most hydrophilic nanofiber with more compact network consisting of small fibers proved to provide a beneficial 2 D environment for cell proliferation and matrix formation while decreasing the fibrotic/stress behavior in all cell lines when compared with TCPS and the collagen type I coating. This nanofiber demonstrates the potential to be used as a biomimetic coating to study the development of fibrosis through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. This study also shows that nanofiber structures do not enhance cell function by definition, because the physico-chemical characteristics of the nanofibers influence cell behavior as well and actually can be used to regulate cell behavior toward suboptimal performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2252-2265, 2017.
Subject(s)
Coated Materials, Biocompatible/chemistry , Epithelial Cells/cytology , Fibroblasts/cytology , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology , Nanofibers/chemistry , Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry , Cell Adhesion , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Coated Materials, Biocompatible/adverse effects , Epithelial Cells/metabolism , Epithelial Cells/pathology , Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition , Fibroblasts/metabolism , Fibroblasts/pathology , Fibrosis/etiology , Fibrosis/metabolism , Fibrosis/pathology , Gene Expression Regulation , Humans , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/pathology , Nanofibers/adverse effects , Nanofibers/ultrastructure , Tissue Scaffolds/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Mechanical friction causes damage to the cornea. A friction measurement device with minimal intervention with the pig cornea tear film revealed a low friction coefficient of 0.011 in glycerine solution. Glycerine molecules presumably bind to water, mucins, and epithelial cells and therewith improve both squeeze film and boundary lubrication. Using confocal microscopy, we determined that glycerine solution reduced damage to epithelial cells by 50% compared with the phosphate buffer saline.
