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Coatings from micropatterned sulfobetaine polymer brushes as substrates for MC3T3-E1 cells

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Abstract

In the last decades, polymer brush coatings have proven to be excellent anti-fouling materials by preventing protein adhesion. When using this property to restrict cell growth laterally in cell culture, it is crucial to ensure that other cell functions remain unaffected. The present study therefore examines MC3T3-E1 cell growth and morphology on patterned PSBMA brush substrates and probes their proliferation potential at mRNA level. The osteoblastic cells display a more elongated morphology than cells on the control substrates, but show no sign of elevated levels of the apoptosis marker p53 or diminished levels of Ki-67 or H4, which serve as indicators of proliferation. Therefore, patterned polymer brushes do not seem to influence cells in their proliferation state and are suitable cell culture substrates. Nevertheless, the use of polymer brush surfaces in long-term cell culture was found to be limited by their instability in cell culture medium.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg. Annina Steinbach gratefully appreciates the scholarship of the Landesgraduiertenförderung Baden-Württemberg.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Solid State Chemistry and Material Science, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstr. 1, 86159, Augsburg, Germany

    Annina Steinbach & Dirk Volkmer

  2. Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Ulm University, Helmholtzstr. 14, 89081, Ulm, Germany

    Andrea Tautzenberger & Anita Ignatius

  3. Institute of Experimental Physics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany

    Manuela Pluntke & Othmar Marti

Authors
  1. Annina Steinbach
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  2. Andrea Tautzenberger
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  3. Anita Ignatius
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  4. Manuela Pluntke
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  5. Othmar Marti
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  6. Dirk Volkmer
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Correspondence to Dirk Volkmer.

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Steinbach, A., Tautzenberger, A., Ignatius, A. et al. Coatings from micropatterned sulfobetaine polymer brushes as substrates for MC3T3-E1 cells. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 23, 573–579 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-011-4525-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-011-4525-y

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