Polydopamine-Decorated Sticky, Water-Friendly, Biodegradable Polycaprolactone Cell Carriers

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres are useful for cell delivery.
• Hydrophobic PCL surfaces present challenges for stable cell adhesion and aqueous dispersion.
• Developing effective cell carriers is crucial for advancing cell therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To functionalize PCL microspheres with polydopamine (pDA) for improved human neural stem cell (hNSC) immobilization.
• To create versatile cell carrier systems for cell therapy applications.
• To investigate the potential of pDA-coated PCL microspheres for gene delivery to hNSCs.

Main Methods:

• Coating biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres with bioinspired polydopamine (pDA).
• Assessing the immobilization and proliferation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) on pDA-modified PCL surfaces.
• Evaluating the adhesion properties of pDA-coated PCL in aqueous environments.
• Decorating pDA-coated PCL microspheres with adeno-associated virus (AAV) for gene delivery.

Main Results:

• Polydopamine (pDA) coating rendered hydrophobic PCL microspheres water-friendly and adhesive.
• Robust immobilization and proliferation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) were achieved on pDA-decorated PCL surfaces.
• pDA-coated PCL microspheres demonstrated stable adherence in aqueous solutions and on wet biological surfaces.
• Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was efficiently delivered to adhered hNSCs via the pDA-PCL system.

Conclusions:

• Bioinspired polydopamine (pDA) coating transforms PCL microspheres into effective cell carriers for human neural stem cells (hNSCs).
• The pDA-PCL system offers enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and gene delivery capabilities.
• These findings provide core technologies to potentially boost the therapeutic efficacy of cell therapy approaches.