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Published on: September 11, 2015
Interaction of preosteoblasts with surface-immobilized collagen-based nanotubes
Deepak M Kalaskar1, Sophie Demoustier-Champagne1, Christine C Dupont-Gillain1
1Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences - Bio & Soft Matter (IMCN/BSMA), Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud, 1 (Box L7.04.01), B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Collagen-based nanotubes immobilized on indium-tin-oxide glass create unique biointerfaces. Preosteoblast cells show altered morphology and filopodia interactions, with no observed cytotoxicity, indicating potential for biomaterial surface modification.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cell Biology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Previous work established electrophoretic deposition (EPD) for immobilizing collagen-based nanotubes onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass.
- This created biointerfaces with defined protein-based chemistry and topography.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate preosteoblast cell behavior on surfaces modified with immobilized collagen-based nanotubes.
- To compare cell morphology and interactions with nanotube-coated ITO glass versus bare ITO glass and collagen-adsorbed ITO glass.
Main Methods:
- Fluorescence microscopy was used to study changes in cell morphology.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examined cell filopodia interactions with nanotubes.
- Alamar blue assay assessed the cytotoxicity of the biointerfaces.
Main Results:
- Preosteoblast cells exhibited distinct morphologies on nanotube-coated ITO glass compared to controls.
- SEM revealed significant effects of collagen-based nanotubes on cell filopodia length and thickness.
- The biointerfaces showed no obvious cytotoxicity in short-term cultures.
Conclusions:
- Surface modification with collagen-based nanotubes significantly influences preosteoblast cell morphology and filopodia dynamics.
- The developed biointerfaces are non-cytotoxic, presenting promising avenues for biomaterial surface engineering.
- The procedure demonstrates versatility in creating tailored biointerfaces using mixtures of collagen-based tubes at micro- and nanoscale.

