Biomaterial’s surface functionalization for selective
adhesion
and patterned cell growth remains essential in developing novel implantable
medical devices for regenerative medicine applications. We built and
applied a 3D-printed microfluidic device to fabricate polydopamine
(PDA) patterns on the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(l-lactic acid-co-D,l-lactic acid)
(PLA), and poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA).
Then, we covalently attached the Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (VAPG) peptide to
the created PDA pattern to promote the adhesion of the smooth muscle
cells (SMCs). We proved that the fabrication of PDA patterns allows
for the selective adhesion of mouse fibroblast and human SMCs to PDA-patterned
surfaces after only 30 min of in vitro cultivation. After 7 days of
SMC culture, we observed the proliferation of cells only along the
patterns on PTFE but over the entire surface of the PLA and PLGA,
regardless of patterning. This means that the presented approach is
beneficial for application to materials resistant to cell adhesion
and proliferation. The additional attachment of the VAPG peptide to
the PDA patterns did not bring measurable benefits due to the high
increase in adhesion and patterned cell proliferation by PDA itself.