0000000000621523
AUTHOR
Theo G. Van Kooten
Surface roughness, porosity, and texture as modifiers of cellular adhesion.
Substrate topography in the micrometer range is reviewed as a modifier of the response of cultured cells and of biocompatibility when implanted into tissues. Characterization methods for substrate topography are discussed, including scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, laser scanning, and confocal microscopy. Because of the current technical limitations in reproducing micron-level topographic details, only one method, ion-beam etching, has been found suitable for texturing substrates on nonplanar surfaces.
Western blotting as a method for studying cell-biomaterial interactions: The role of protein collection
Research of cell-biomaterial interactions is building on knowledge and methods available in cell and molecular biology. Western blotting is one of the options to characterize protein expression in cell populations. Method transfer to biomaterial model systems is not trivial because of the structure that exists in many biomaterials, preventing the collection of cell lysate by mechanical means. In this technical report, we describe the influence of different protein collection methods in a model system for cell-biomaterial interactions, consisting of endothelial cells exposed to different stimuli. In particular, the influence of trypsinization before lysis, and handling complexity were determ…
Mechanisms of cell activation by heavy metal ions
Heavy metal ions can be released by corroding metallic implants into the surrounding tissue. When they enter blood vessels some of them are carried by proteins like albumin and can be taken up by endothelial cells lining the vessels. To study their involvement in the inflammatory response we investigated heavy metal ion induced effects in cultured human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). NiCl2 and CoCl2 upregulate, especially in concentrations of 1 mM, the expression of adhesion molecules (e.g., E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1), as well as the cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, as shown by enzyme immunoassay and Northern blot analysis. In addition, possible signal transduction mech…