Osteoblast population migration characteristics on substrates modified with immobilized adhesive peptides

The process of cell migration is inextricably linked with the process of ce ll adhesion and, therefore, with cell/substrate adhesiveness. The present s tudy adapted an under-agarose cell migration assay to quantitatively examin e population migration characteristics of osteoblasts, on substrates modifi ed with adhesive peptides, in the absence and presence of growth factors. S hort-term, that is, 48 h osteoblast migration distances on substrates modif ied with adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser peptides were significantly(P < 0.05) les s than migration distances on substrates modified with non-adhesive Arg-Asp -Cly-Ser peptides, demonstrating that osteoblast population haptokinesis wa s significantly decreased on substrates modified with adhesive peptides. Ra ndom motility coefficients calculated in the present study for osteoblast p opulations were an order of magnitude lower than a published random motilit y coefficient for leukocytes, proving quantitatively that, compared to leuk ocytes, osteoblasts migrate via haptokinesis more slowly. The 48 and 72 h o steoblast population migration differentials in the presence of an initial mass of 60 ng of basic Fibroblast Growth Factor, on substrates modified wit h Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser or with Arg-Asp-Gly-Ser, were larger than all other chemo tactic differentials on these substrates. Quantitative investigations (such as the present study) of cell population migration characteristics on mode l biomaterial surfaces will become increasingly necessary as the discipline of cell/tissue engineering matures. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.