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Biomedical subjects

David J Mooney

Publications and source records attributed to David J Mooney.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Alginate type and RGD density control myoblast phenotype.

Alginates are being increasingly used for cell encapsulation and tissue engineering applications; however, these materials cannot specifically interact with mammalian cells. We have covalently modified alginates of varying monomeric ratio with RGD-containing cell adhesion ligands using carbodiimide chemistry to initiate cell adhesion to these polymers. We hypothesized that we could control the function of cells adherent to RGD-modified alginate hydrogels by varying alginate polymer type and cell adhesion ligand density, and we have addressed this possibility by studying the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal myoblasts adherent to these materials. RGD density on alginates of varying monomeric ratio could be controlled over several orders of magnitude, creating a range of surface densities from 1-100 fmol/cm(2). Myoblast adhesion to these materials was specific to the RGD ligand, because adhesion could be competed away with soluble RGD in a dose-dependent manner. Myoblast proliferation and differentiation could be regulated by varying the alginate monomeric ratio and the density of RGD ligands at the substrate surface, and specific combinations of alginate type and RGD density were required to obtain efficient myoblast differentiation on these materials.

Alginates↗
PubMed2002

Salt fusion: an approach to improve pore interconnectivity within tissue engineering scaffolds.

Macroporous scaffolds composed of biodegradable polymers have found extensive use as three-dimensional substrates either for in vitro cell seeding followed by transplantation, or as conductive substrates for direct implantation in vivo. Methods abound for creation of macroporous scaffolds for tissue engineering, and common methods typically employ a solid porogen within a three-dimensional polymer matrix to create a well-defined pore size, pore structure, and total scaffold porosity. This study describes an approach to impart improved pore interconnectivity to polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering by partially fusing the solid porogen together prior to creation of a continuous polymer matrix. Three dimensional, porous scaffolds of the copolymer 85:15 poly(lactide-co-glycolide) were fabricated via either a solvent casting/particulate leaching process, or a gas foaming/particulate leaching process. Prior to creation of a continuous polymer matrix the NaCl crystals, which serve as the solid porogen, are partially fused via treatment in 95% humidity. Scanning electron micrographs clearly display fused salt crystals and an enhancement in pore interconnectivity in the salt fused scaffolds prepared via both solvent casting and gas foaming, and the extent of pore interconnectivity is enhanced with longer treatment times. Fusion of salt crystal for 24 h increased the radius of curvature of salt crystals, and led to a twofold increase in the compressive modulus of solvent cast scaffolds (total porosity of 97 +/- 1%). Fusion of NaCl crystals prior to gas foaming resulted in a decrease in scaffold compressive modulus from 277 +/- 60k Pa to 187 +/- 30k Pa (total porosity of 94 +/- 1%). The resulting highly interconnected scaffolds have implications for facilitated cell migration, abundant cell-cell interaction, and potentially improved neural and vascular growth within tissue engineering scaffolds.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed2002

Tissue engineering strategies for in vivo neovascularisation.

Neovascularisation is a promising alternative therapeutic approach to re-establish blood flow in ischaemic tissues of patients suffering from coronary artery or peripheral artery disease. Often, these patients are not suitable candidates for current revascularisation procedures such as coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery. Several strategies are presently under investigation to induce vascularisation by stimulating the body's natural processes of vasculogenesis, angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. These strategies involve transplantation of various cell types into the ischaemic site and the delivery of recombinant angiogenic agents through direct protein administration or gene transfer. We will examine the basic approaches for these neovacularisation strategies and their therapeutic potential as demonstrated in animal models and human trials to date.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Quantification of fibronectin adsorption to silicone-rubber cell culture substrates.

As the role of mechanical force in cellular signaling gained recognition, investigators designed a number of devices to deliver controlled regimens of mechanical force to cultured cells. One type of device uses thin silicone-rubber membranes to support monolayer cell adhesion and to transmit mechanical force in the form of biaxial strain. We have observed that cell attachment and spreading are impaired on these membranes compared to polystyrene, even when both are passively coated with identical amounts of extracellular matrix. The purpose of these studies was to quantify the efficiency and stability of passive matrix adsorption onto commercially available elastic culture substrates. A theoretically saturating density (1 microg/cm2) of fibronectin was added to each well, and the initial efficiency of adsorption to the walls and elastic membranes was found to be 31 +/- 2% of the protein added. Strikingly, when the protein adsorbed specifically to the membranes was quantified after seven days, only 10-26 ng/cm2 fibronectin were present, revealing that most of the adsorption is to the sides of the wells. These results indicate that the adsorption of matrix proteins to silicone-rubber substrates is relatively inefficient and that investigators who use these systems must be aware of this fact and design their experiments accordingly.

Adsorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of chain stiffness of partially oxidized polyguluronate.

The chain stiffness of macromolecules is considered critical in their design and applications. This study utilizes polyguluronate derived from alginate, a typical polysaccharide widely utilized in many biomedical applications, as a model macromolecule to investigate how the chain stiffness can be tightly regulated by partial oxidation. Alginate has a backbone of inherently rigid alpha-L-guluronate (i.e., polyguluronate) and more flexible beta-D-mannuronate. The chain stiffness of the polyguluronate was specifically studied in this paper, as this component plays a critical role in the formation of alginate hydrogels with divalent cations and is the dominant factor in determining the chain stiffness of alginate. We have utilized size-exclusion chromatography, equipped with refractive index, viscosity, and light-scattering detectors, to determine the intrinsic viscosity and the weight-average molecular weight of each fraction of samples. The chain stiffness of partially oxidized polyguluronate was then evaluated from the exponent of the Mark-Houwink equation and the persistence length. We have found that partial oxidation can be used to tightly regulate the steric hindrance and stiffness of the polyguluronate backbone. This approach to control the chain stiffness of inherently rigid polysaccharides by partial oxidation may find many applications in biomedical utilization of these materials.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Controlling rigidity and degradation of alginate hydrogels via molecular weight distribution.

The mechanical rigidity and degradation rate of hydrogels utilized as cell transplantation vehicles have been regarded as critical factors in new tissue formation. However, conventional approaches to accelerate the degradation rate of gels deteriorate their function as a mechanical support in parallel. We hypothesized that adjusting the molecular weight distribution of polymers that are hydrolytically labile but capable of forming gels would allow one to alter the degradation rate of the gels over a broad range, while limiting the range of their elastic moduli (E). We investigated this hypothesis with binary alginate hydrogels formed from both ionically and covalently cross-linked partially oxidized (1% uronic acid residues), low [molecular weight (MW) approximately 60,000 g/mol] and high MW alginates (MW approximately 120,000 g/mol) in order to examine the utility of this approach with various cross-linking strategies. Increasing the fraction of low MW alginates to 0.50 maintained a value of E similar to that for the high MW alginate gels but led to faster degradation, irrespective of the cross-linking mode. This result was attributed to a faster separation between cross-linked domains upon chain breakages for the low MW alginates, coupled with their faster chain scission than the high MW alginates. The more rapidly degrading oxidized binary hydrogels facilitated the formation of new bone tissues from transplanted bone marrow stromal cells, as compared with the nonoxidized high MW hydrogels. The results of these studies will be useful for controlling the physical properties of a broad array of hydrogel-forming polymers.

Alginates↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Locally enhanced angiogenesis promotes transplanted cell survival.

A developing therapy for complete or partial loss of function in various tissues and organs involves transplanting an appropriate cell population, capable of compensating for the existing deficiencies. Clinical application of this type of strategy is currently limited by the death or dedifferentiation of the transplanted cells after delivery to the recipient. A delay in thorough vascularization of the implant area creates an environment low in oxygen and other nutrients, and likely contributes to the initial death of transplanted cells. We have addressed this problem by sustained delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an initiator of angiogenesis, from a porous polymer matrix utilized simultaneously for cell delivery. As expected from previous studies, VEGF delivered from these constructs elicited an enhanced angiogenic response over a 2-week period when implanted subcutaneously in SCID mice. Hepatocytes implanted using VEGF-containing matrices demonstrated significantly greater survival after 1 week in vivo as compared with cells implanted on matrices without growth factor. The results of this study therefore indicate that enhancing vascularization in the location of transplanted cells promotes their survival. In addition, this delivery system may be used in future studies to directly promote cell survival and function by also providing growth factors specific to the transplanted cells.

Angiogenesis Inducing Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of flow conditions and matrix coatings on growth and differentiation of three-dimensionally cultured rat hepatocytes.

Maintenance of liver-specific function of hepatocytes in culture is still difficult. Improved culture conditions may enhance the cell growth and function of cultured cells. We investigated the effect of three-dimensional culture under flow conditions, and the influence of surface modifications in hepatocyte cultures. Hepatocytes were harvested from Lewis rats. Cells were cultured on three-dimensional polymeric poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) matrices in static culture, or in a pulsatile flow-bioreactor system. Different surface modifications of matrices were investigated: coating with collagen I, collagen IV, laminin, or fibronectin; or uncoated matrix. Hepatocyte numbers, DNA content, and albumin secretion rate were assessed over the observation period. Culture under flow condition significantly enhanced cell numbers. An additional improvement of this effect was observed, when matrix coating was used. Cellular function also showed a significant increase (4- to 5-fold) under flow conditions when compared with static culture. Our data showed that culture under flow conditions improves cell number, and strongly enhances cellular function. Matrix modification by coating with extracellular matrix showed overall an additive stimulatory effect. Our conclusion is that combining three-dimensional culture under flow conditions and using matrix modification significantly improves culture conditions and is therefore attractive for the development of successful culture systems for hepatocytes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Externally applied cyclic strain regulates localization of focal contact components in cultured smooth muscle cells.

Mechanical signals are critical regulators of cellular gene expression, yet little is understood of the mechanism whereby cells sense mechanical forces. In this study we have tested the hypothesis that mechanical strain applied to populations of cells via their adhesion substrate rapidly alters the cellular distribution of focal contact proteins. Focal contact-associated components (vinculin, a-actinin, paxillin) were assayed by immunofluorescence microscopy and quantitative western blotting. Application of a single step increase in strain in multiple experiments caused overall a small change in focal contact-associated vinculin. In contrast, cyclic strain induced a large and very reproducible increase in detergent-insoluble vinculin (52% relative to static) after just 1 min of strain. Insoluble paxillin was transiently enriched with a similar time course, whereas insoluble a-actinin did not change significantly in response to cyclic strain. Rhodamine-labeled chicken vinculin added to permeabilized cells preferentially localized to focal contacts in response to cyclic strain, but not a single step increase in strain. These findings establish that insoluble levels of focal contact components are altered rapidly following application of an appropriate number of mechanical perturbations, and suggest that at least one component of the mechanism does not involve soluble intermediates.

Actinin↗