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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Dendrimer-based Uneven Nanopatterns to Locally Control Surface Adhesiveness: A Method to Direct Chondrogenic Differentiation
Published on: January 20, 2018
Surface-immobilized plant-derived osteopontin as an effective platform to promote osteoblast adhesion and
Panittha Damsongsang1, Daneeya Chaikiawkeaw2, Waranyoo Phoolcharoen3
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Abstract:
In this report, recombinant human osteopontin synthesized in tobacco plants (p-rhOPN) is introduced as a potential bioactive molecule that can promote osteoblast adhesion and differentiation. A glass substrate (SiO2/Si-OH) grafted with poly(acrylic acid) (SiO2/Si-PAA) was prepared by surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and used as a carboxyl-rich platform for the chemical conjugation of p-rhOPN. The PAA grafting and subsequent p-rhOPN immobilization were confirmed by water contact angle, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy analyses. Indirect ELISA quantification revealed that the p-rhOPN immobilization efficiency was above 95% and the surface coverage was a function of the p-rhOPN concentration. MC-3T3-E1 cells cultured on the SiO2/Si-PAA substrate immobilized with various concentrations (0.6-30 ng/mL) of p-rhOPN (SiO2/Si-p-rhOPN) exhibited superior cell spreading compared to those cultured on SiO2/Si-OH or gelatin-modified glass substrate (SiO2/Si-gelatin). Polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the SiO2/Si-p-rhOPN substrates with high level of immobilized p-rhOPN promoted MC-3T3-E1 cell differentiation, as demonstrated by the higher transcript expression levels of the osteogenic differentiation regulatory gene, Runt-related transcription factor 2, compared to cells cultured on SiO2/Si-OH or SiO2/Si-gelatin. Given that p-rhOPN can be more economically produced than the commercially available OPN derived from human or mammalian sources, then, together with its well-preserved biological function in spite of being chemically conjugated to the substrates, it is likely that p-rhOPN could be more broadly applied for the development of materials for bone tissue engineering with a promising medical and commercial value.
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