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Isolation and Identification of Vascular Endothelial Cells from Distinct Adipose Depots for Downstream Applications
Published on: June 10, 2022
Functional differences between healthy and diabetic endothelial cells on topographical cues
Marie F A Cutiongco1, Bryan M X Chua2, Dawn J H Neo3
1Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, T-Lab, #10-01, 5A Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117411; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Block E4 #04-08, 4 Engineering Drive 3, National University of Singapore, 117583, Singapore.
Diabetic endothelial cells respond differently to implantable device topographies. Specific micro-scale patterns can improve diabetic cell function, offering new design strategies for vascular disease interventions.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Vascular Biology
- Diabetic Complications
Background:
- Type II diabetes significantly impacts blood vessel endothelium.
- Diabetic endothelial cells are underutilized in implantable device research.
- Understanding topographical cues is crucial for device design in diabetic vascular disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional responses of healthy and diabetic human coronary arterial endothelial cells on various topographies.
- To assess the impact of specific micro- and nano-scale surface patterns on endothelial cell behavior.
- To inform the design of implantable devices for diabetic patients with vascular disease.
Main Methods:
- Culturing healthy and diabetic human coronary arterial endothelial cells.
- Exposing cells to different topographies: 2 μm gratings, multi-scale hierarchical gratings (250 nm on 2 μm), and concave microlenses (1.8 μm).
- Assessing endothelial cell functions including adhesiveness, angiogenic capacity, cell-cell junction formation, oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake, immune activation, and cell migration.
Main Results:
- 2 μm gratings maintained healthy endothelial cell functions and reduced immunogenicity.
- Diabetic cells showed no consistent response to 2 μm gratings.
- Multi-scale hierarchical gratings improved diabetic cell function by reducing oxidized LDL uptake, decreasing immune activation, and accelerating migration.
- Concave microlens topography impaired diabetic endothelial cell function.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial cell response to topography is dependent on diabetic status.
- Multi-scale hierarchical gratings present a promising approach for improving diabetic endothelial cell function in implantable devices.
- This study advocates for a new paradigm in designing and testing biomedical interventions for diabetic vascular disease.

