THE ROLE OF VITRONECTIN IN THE ATTACHMENT AND SPATIAL-DISTRIBUTION OFBONE-DERIVED CELLS ON MATERIALS WITH PATTERNED SURFACE-CHEMISTRY

In recent years a central objective of tissue engineering has been und erstanding the interaction of cells with biomaterial surfaces. In this study we examined the protein adsorption events necessary to control the attachment and the subsequent spatial distribution of bone-derived cells exposed to chemically modified surfaces. Silane chemistry and p hotolithography techniques were used to create substrates with alterna ting regions of an aminosilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimeth oxysilane (EDS), along side an alkylsilane, dimethyldichlorosilane (DM S), on quartz surfaces. Sera depleted of fibronectin (Fn), vitronectin (Vn), or both were used to determine if these proteins were necessary for the initial attachment and spatial distribution of bone-derived c ells exposed to modified surfaces in vitro. The kinetics and mechanism s of the spatial distribution of cells were examined using light micro scopy and digital image acquisition and subsequently were analyzed. Co mpared to complete serum, the use of serum depleted of fibronectin wit h vitronectin included had minimal effect on the cell attachment, spre ading and spatial distribution on the EDS regions of the surface. Howe ver, the use of serum depleted of vitronectin with or without fibronec tin included resulted in greatly reduced cell attachment and spreading . Thus the presence of vitronectin was required for the attachment, sp reading, and spatial distribution of bone-derived cells exposed to EDS /DMS-patterned surfaces. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.