Assessment of cell binding to hyaluronic acid in a solid-phase assay

Adhesion to hyaluronate by tumor cells has been shown to correlate with disease progression in various types of neoplasms. In order to study cell binding to hyaluronate, a novel assay was developed with hyaluronate covalently tethered to polystyrene plates in 96-well format. Hyaluronic acid is covalently linked to amine groups on the surface of these plates by 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. The amide linkage is stable to repeated washings, and cell binding to this derivatized surface is highly reproducible. Use of plates coated with hyaluronate by this new method provides an ideal in vitro model system for assaying cell binding.