earticle

영어

Biomimetic approaches can provide alternative and more efficient ways of preparing functional substrates and scaffolds for stem cell engineering. One of the interesting molecules for this purpose is 3,4-dihydroxy-Lpheylalanine (dopamine), an unusual amino acid repeatedly observed in Mytilus edulis foot protein-5 of mussel adhesive pads. Mussel adhesive protein promotes mussel adhesion to virtually any type of organic or inorganic material, which is attributed to an extensive repeat of dopamine and lysine residues in the mussel adhesive pads. Dopamine containing both catechol and amine groups polymerizes at an alkaline pH, which is typical of marine environments, to form a polydopamine layer. In this presentation, a mussel-inspired, biomimetic approach will be introduced for surface modification for efficient and reliable manipulation of human neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation and proliferation. Our study demonstrates that polydopamine coating facilitates highly efficient, simple immobilization of neurotrophic growth factors and adhesion peptides onto polymer substrates. The growth factor or peptide-immobilized substrates greatly enhance differentiation and proliferation of human NSCs at a level comparable or greater than currently available animal-derived coating materials (Matrigel) with safety issues. Therefore, polydopaminemediated surface modification can provide a versatile platform technology for developing chemically defined, safe, functional substrates and scaffolds for therapeutic applications of human NSCs.