Engineering chemoattractant gradients using chemokine-releasing polysaccharide microspheres.

ABSTRACT: Spatial and temporal concentration gradients of chemoattractants direct many biological processes, especially the guidance of immune cells to tissue sites during homeostasis and responses to infection. Such gradients are ultimately generated by secretion of attractant proteins from single cells or collections of cells. Here we describe cell-sized chemoattractant-releasing polysaccharide microspheres, capable of mimicking chemokine secretion by host cells and generating sustained bioactive chemokine gradients in their local microenvironment. Exploiting the common characteristic of net cationic charge and reversible glycosaminoglycan binding exhibited by many chemokines, we synthesized alginate hydrogel microspheres that could be loaded with several different chemokines (including CCL21, CCL

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3139910 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature