Immobilization of N-Cadherin peptide on poly(ethylene terephthalate) for stem cell culture

Abstract

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), one of the most widely used synthetic materials in biomedical applications, was used as platform for immobilizing N-cadherin mediated cyclic peptide to generate microenvironment for stem cell culturing. PET surface was first modified by hydrolysis to introduce active carboxyl functionalities. Upon using an optimized condition for hydrolysis, carboxyl group density of 8.31x 10-7 mmol/cm2 was obtained as determined by Toluidine blue O (TBO) assay. The peptide immobilization was followed thereafter using N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N’-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride)(EDC) as coupling reagents. The specific adhesion via N-cadherin binding molecule and phenotype expression of mouse neural stem cell were observed. The cells can attach on the peptide-immobilized PET surface. The results from neurite outgrowth of mouse neuronal spheres, Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity as well as the expression of human limbal epithelial stem cells suggested that N-cadherin mimic cyclic peptide immobilized on the PET film has ability to maintain neural and limbal stem cell features as well as provide biological effects on the expression of specific gene within cells. These results demonstrated the potential of the cyclic peptide-immobilized PET films in stem cell culture applications.