Nylon-3 copolymers that generate cell-adhesive surfaces identified by library screening.

ABSTRACT: Polymers in the nylon-3 family contain subunits derived from beta-amino acids, which are linked to one another via amide bonds. Thus, the nylon-3 backbone is homologous to the alpha-amino acid-based backbone of proteins. This molecular-level homology suggests that nylon-3 materials might be intrinsically protein-mimetic. The experiments described here explore this prospect in the context of cell adhesion, with tissue engineering as a long-range goal. We have evaluated a small library of sequence-random nylon-3 copolymers for the ability to render surfaces attractive to NIH 3T3 fibroblast adhesion and spreading. Library screening was accomplished in a high-throughput, parallel mode via attachment of the copolymers in a two-dimensional array to a modified glass surface. Significant variation

SUBMITTER: Lee MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2818409 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature