Cellular Adhesion Tripeptide RGD Inhibits Growth of Human Ileocecal Adenocarcinoma Cells HCT-8 and Induces Apoptosis

The tripeptide,Arg-Gly-Asp(RGD)motif is an integrin-recognition site found in adhesive proteins present in extracellular matrices(ECM)and in the blood.HCT-8 cells were treated with cellular adhesion tripeptide RGD at various concentrations.MTT assay was performed to examine the growth and proliferation of HCT-8 cells after treatment with RGD for 48 h.Haematoxylin and Eosin(HE)staining and electromicroscope were used to observe the morphology of apoptotic cells.Survivin and flow cytometry were also used to analyze the HCT-8 apoptosis.Cellular adhesion tripeptide RGD significantly inhibits the growth and proliferation of HCT-8 cells in a dose-dependent manner and induces apoptosis of HCT-8.These results indicate that cellular adhesion tripeptide RGD inhibits the growth and proli-feration of tumor HCT-8 cell,probably by the aid of inducing apoptosis of HCT-8 cell.     

Turning Cell Adhesions ON or OFF with High Spatiotemporal Precision Using the Green Light Responsive Protein CarH

Spatiotemporal control of integrin-mediated cell adhesions to extracellular matrix regulates cell behavior with has numerous implications for biotechnological applications. In this work, two approaches for regulating cell adhesions in space and time with high precision are reported, both of which utilize green light. In the first design, CarH, which is a tetramer in the dark, is used to mask cRGD adhesion-peptides on a surface. Upon green light illumination, the CarH tetramer dissociates into its monomers, revealing the adhesion peptide so that cells can adhere. In the second design, the RGD motif is incorporated into the CarH protein tetramer such that cells can adhere to surfaces functionalized with this protein. The cell adhesions can be disrupted with green light, due to the disassembly of the CarH-RGD protein. Both designs allow for photoregulation with noninvasive visible light and open new possibilities to investigate the dynamical regulation of cell adhesions in cell biology.     

Comparison between RGD-peptide-modified titanium and borosilicate surfaces

The use of synthetic peptides containing adhesive sequences, such as the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif, represents a promising strategy to control biological interactions at the cell–material interface. These peptides are known to improve the tissue–material contact owing to highly specific binding to cellular membrane receptors known as integrins, thereby promoting the adhesion, migration and proliferation of cells. The peptides were coupled to borosilicate glass and titanium surfaces using silanisation chemistry. A tryptophan residue was incorporated into the amino acid sequences of selected peptides to facilitate the detection of the covalently bound peptides. Successful peptide immobilisation was proven by fluorimetric measurements. The confocal imaging analysis suggests a homogeneous distribution of the immobilised peptide across the biomaterial surface. In vitro cell proliferation assays were employed to compare the adhesion potentials of the well-known RGD-containing peptides GRGDSP, GRADSP and RGDS to the three peptides designed by our group. The results demonstrate that the RGD sequence is not necessarily required to enhance the adhesion of cells to non-biological surfaces. Moreover, it is shown that the number of adhering cells can be increased by changes in the peptide hydrophobicity. Changes in the cytoskeleton are observed depending on the type of RGD-peptide modification.     

Engineering of Covalently Immobilized Gradients of RGD Peptides on Hydrogel Scaffolds: Effect on Cell Behaviour

Summary: The aim of this study has been to design a system for the preparation of Polyethylene-glycol (PEG) based hydrogels with a controlled spatial distribution of covalently immobilised RGD adhesion signals in order to control and guide cell response for tissue engineering application. Gradients of immobilised RGD peptides were characterized by confocal microscopy analysis. Moreover, the effect of RGD spatial distribution on cell behaviour was evaluated by using mouse embryo fibroblasts NIH3T3. In particular, we observed cell adhesion and migration of fibroblasts seeded on RGD gradient compared to cells on control hydrogels having an uniform distribution of RGD. Our data suggest that a linear gradient of covalently immobilised adhesion signals affects cell behaviour. In particular, cells feel RGD gradient and oriented themselves and move along gradient direction.     

基于DNA纳米结构的细胞间相互作用的调控

细胞通过化学信号、 电子交换和直接接触等方式交换彼此之间的物质和信息, 以调节生命体的生长发育. 因此, 细胞间的相互作用研究与调控在细胞功能的机制研究和疾病的诊断及治疗等领域具有非常重要的意义. DNA纳米结构具有易合成、 易修饰、 可编程性设计及生物安全性高等优点, 有望实现操作简单、 精确可调、 智能响应的细胞间相互作用调控, 受到了广泛关注. 本文综述了寡核苷酸链杂交、 受体-配体结合和核酸适体靶向识别等基于DNA纳米结构的细胞组装策略, 总结了pH调控、 金属离子调控和DNA链激活等细胞间相互作用的调控手段, 并重点介绍了其在细胞间作用力的测量和成像、 体外组织模型的构建、 细胞间的通讯交流和细胞免疫治疗等领域的应用. 最后对该领域进行了总结和展望, 希望为相关研究提供有益参考.     

银纳米粒子修饰的二维金属-有机框架纳米片用于光热增强银离子释放抗菌

近年来,二维(2D)金属-有机框架(MOF)纳米复合材料被广泛的应用于生物医学领域,尤其是在抗菌方面。在此,我们通过光照诱导还银离子成功在二维MOF纳米片上生长银纳米粒子,得到了一种银纳米粒子(Ag NPs)修饰的二维Zr-Fc-MOF (MOF-Ag)纳米片,并将其用于光热增强Ag⁺释放抗菌治疗。通过水热法和超声处理合成MOF纳米片,然后通过原位光辐照诱导还原在MOF纳米片上生长Ag NPs。系列表征结果表明Ag NPs成功负载到MOF纳米片上。聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)的修饰不仅可以增强MOF-Ag在溶液中的稳定性,还可以增强它的生物相容性。在近红外激光(NIR)照射下,MOF纳米片可以在短时间升温,而温度的升高可以加速Ag NPs在溶液中氧化为银离子。通过细菌生长曲线、菌落相对数和细菌形态变化等实验表明PVP@MOF-Ag纳米片具有优异的广谱杀菌性能。此外,2D MOF纳米片良好的光热性能不仅可以增强Ag⁺的释放,还可以增强细胞膜的通透性,随后进入细菌中的Ag⁺可以诱导内源性活性氧的产生,从而引发细菌的氧化应激,实现高效抗菌。基于良好的体外抗菌性能,进一步将PVP@MOF-Ag纳米片用于小鼠伤口愈合,在此期间PVP@MOF-Ag纳米片表现出良好的治疗效果和生物安全性。我们的研究结果表明,PVP@MOF-Ag纳米片可以作为光热增强Ag⁺释放抗菌治疗和伤口愈合的有效平台。     

Self-assembly and bioactivity of a polymer/peptide conjugate containing the RGD cell adhesion motif and PEG

The self-assembly and bioactivity of the peptide–polymer conjugate DGRFFF–PEG3000 containing the RGD cell adhesion motif has been examined, in aqueous solution. The conjugate is designed to be amphiphilic by incorporation of three hydrophobic phenylalanine residues as well as the RGD unit and a short poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain of molar mass 3000 kg mol⁻¹. Above a critical aggregation concentration, determined by fluorescence measurements, signals of β-sheet structure are revealed by spectroscopic measurements, as well as X-ray diffraction. At high concentration, a self-assembled fibril nanostructure is revealed by electron microscopy. The fibrils are observed despite PEG crystallization which occurs on drying. This suggests that DGRFFF has an aggregation tendency that is sufficiently strong not to be prevented by PEG crystallization. The adhesion, viability and proliferation of human corneal fibroblasts was examined for films of the conjugate on tissue culture plates (TCPs) as well as low attachment plates. On TCP, DGRFFF–PEG3000 films prepared at sufficiently low concentration are viable, and cell proliferation is observed. However, on low attachment surfaces, neither cell adhesion nor proliferation was observed, indicating that the RGD motif was not available to enhance cell adhesion. This was ascribed to the core–shell architecture of the self-assembled fibrils with a peptide core surrounded by a PEG shell which hinders access to the RGD unit.     

Bioactive polypeptide hydrogels modified with RGD and N-cadherin mimetic peptide promote chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Cell-material and cell-cell interactions represent two crucial aspects of the regulation of cell behavior. In the present study, poly(L-glutamic acid)(PLG) hydrogels were prepared by catalyst-free click crosslinking via a strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition(SPAAC) reaction between azido-grafted PLG(PLG-N_3) and azadibenzocyclooctyne-grafted PLG(PLG-ADIBO).The bioactive peptides c(RGDfK) and N-cadherin mimetic peptide(N-Cad) were both conjugated to the PLG hydrogel(denoted PLG+RGD/N-Cad) in order to regulate cell-material and cell-cell interactions. Gelation time and storage modulus of the hydrogels were tunable through variations in the concentration of polypeptide precursors. The hydrogels degraded gradually in the presence of proteinases. The viability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) was maintained when cultured with extracts of the hydrogels or encapsulated within the hydrogels. Degradation was observed within 10 weeks following the subcutaneous injection of hydrogel solution in rats, displaying excellent histocompatibility in vivo. The introduction of RGD into the PLG hydrogel promoted the adhesion of BMSCs onto the hydrogels. Moreover, when encapsulated within the PLG+RGD/NCad hydrogel, BMSCs secreted cartilage-specific matrix, in addition to chondrogenic gene and protein expression being significantly enhanced in comparison with BMSCs encapsulated in hydrogels without N-Cad modification. These findings suggest that these biodegradable, bioactive polypeptide hydrogels have great potential for use in 3D cell culture and in cartilage tissue engineering.     

Mediating the Migration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Dynamically Changing the Density of Cell-selective Peptides Immobilized on β-Cyclodextrin-modified Cell-resisting Polymer Brushes

Dynamic control of mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)behaviors on biomaterial surface is critically involved in regulating the cell fate and tissue regeneration.Herein,a stimuli-responsive surface based on host-guest interaction with cell selectivity was developed to regulate migration of MSCs in situ by dynamic display of cell-specific peptides.Azobenzene-grafted MSC-affinitive peptides(EPLQLKM,Azo-E7)were grafted toβ-cyclodextran(β-CD)-modified poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate)(PHG)brushes,which were prepared by using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization(SI-ATRP).X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),quartz crystal microbalance(QCM),and water contact angle were used to characterize their structure and property.Cell adhesion assay showed that the combination effect of resisting property of PHG and MSC-affinity of E7 could promote the selective adhesion of MSCs over other types of cells such as RAW264.7 macrophages and NIH3 T3 fibroblasts to some extent.UV-Vis spectroscopy proved that the competing guest molecules,amantadine hydrochloride(Ama),could release Azo-E7 peptides from the CD surface to different extents,and the effect was enhanced when UV irradiation was employed simultaneously.As a result,the decrease of cell adhesion density and migration rate could be achieved in situ.The cell density and migration rate could be reduced by over 40%by adding 20μmol/L Ama,suggesting that this type of surface is a new platform for dynamic regulation of stem cell behaviors in situ.     

Bacteriochlorophyll-a as photosensitizer for photodynamic treatment of transplantable murine tumors.

Bacteriochlorophyll-a (bChla), which absorbs light of 780 nm wavelength, was tested for in vivo photodynamic activity in the SMT-F and RIF transplantable mouse tumor systems. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of tissue extracts showed that bChla was rapidly degraded in vivo to bacteriopheophytin-a (bPheoa) and other breakdown products. These were also photodynamically active, and tumor response could be achieved over a wavelength range of 660 to 780 nm, while tumor cure was restricted to wavelengths of 755 (bPheoa) to 780 nm. A photosensitizing product absorbing at 660 nm was also present in isolated tumor cells. Photodynamic cell kill of tumor cells isolated from tumors after bChla accumulation in vivo, using 755 or 780 nm light _vitro, was exponential up to 20–40 J cm⁻². Above this light dose little or no further damage could be achieved, which is an indication of the rapid photobleaching of these sensitizers. In vivo, vascular occlusion occurred readily if light treatment was delivered shortly after sensitizer administration, but was delayed if light treatment was carried out 24 h after injection. Although up to 70% of tumor cells were lethally damaged after completion of in vivo light treatment, concurrent severe vascular destruction seemed necessary for tumor cure. Normal tissue photosensitivity totally subsided within 5 days after sensitizer administration.     

Controlling cell attachment selectively onto biological polymer-colloid templates using polymer-on-polymer stamping

A new patterning approach using polymer-on-polymer stamping (POPS) has been developed to fabricate polymer-colloid templates for controlling selective cell attachment. In this paper, a polyamine surface patterned onto a poly(acrylic acid)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAA/PAH) cell resistant multilayer platform serves as a template for the deposition of close- or loose-packed colloidal particles. Peptides containing the RGD adhesion sequence were used to modify the PAH/colloid surface for specific cell attachment. Cell behavior was studied by varying colloidal packing array density, pattern geometry, and surface chemistry. It was found that loose-packed RGD-modified colloidal arrays enhance cell adhesion, as observed through the development of focal adhesion contacts and orientation of actin stress fibers, but close-packed colloidal arrays induce a rounded and nonadhesive cell morphology and yield a smaller number of attached cells. On loose-packed arrays, cells adjust their shapes to the pattern geometry when the stripe width is smaller than 50 microm and increase their extent of attachment when the concentration of surface RGD peptides is increased. This new biomaterials system allows the examination of cell behavior as a function of RGD surface distribution on the molecular to micrometer scale and reveals cellular response to different surface roughnesses.     

基于Cy7类菁染料分子探针的设计策略

菁染料是一类经典的荧光染料母核, 具有摩尔消光系数大、 吸收波长可调、 溶解性良好及生物兼容性好等优点, 被广泛用于蛋白标记、 痕量金属离子检测、 生物活性物质检测、 细胞和活体成像及肿瘤靶向治疗等领域. 近年来, 生物医学领域对活体结构及功能成像深度提出更高的需求, 基于优异的长波长染料母核开发近红外荧光分子探针逐渐成为领域的研究重点. 吲哚七甲川菁染料(Cy7)是一类最具代表性的菁染料, 本文重点综合评述了自1992年以来基于Cy7结构开发的分子探针, 并介绍了该类荧光探针的设计策略. 最后, 讨论了该领域研究面临的挑战, 并对未来的发展方向进行了总结和展望.     

1,3-二氢-1,3-二氧-2H-异吲哚类衍生物的合成及抗新生血管生成活性研究

根据整合素α_vβ₃受体内源性配基RGD三肽构效关系和作用机制,以沙利度胺为先导化合物,设计并合成了5个未见文献报道的5-羧基-1,3-二氢-1,3-二氧-2H-异吲哚类衍生物,其结构经元素分析、红外光谱及核磁共振谱确证.体外初步生物活性筛选实验结果表明,部分目标物对脐静脉血管内皮细胞株(ECV304)增殖有显著抑制活性.     

PLG-g-TA/RGD酶催化交联水凝胶用于透明软骨细胞黏附和三维细胞培养

制备了一种基于聚谷氨酸-g-酪胺/cRGDfk(PLG-g-TA/RGD)的新型酶催化交联水凝胶, 用于兔透明软骨细胞黏附和三维细胞的培养. PLG-g-TA/RGD聚合物材料在辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)和过氧化氢(H₂O₂)存在下, 能够通过酪氨基团的自交联快速形成水凝胶. 环状多肽(cRGDfk)的引入能够显著提高材料的溶液-凝胶转变速率和凝胶强度. 透明软骨细胞在水凝胶表面黏附3 d后, 在PLG-g-TA/RGD水凝胶表面有更多的细胞黏附; 将透明软骨细胞包裹在水凝胶内培养1, 4, 7 d后, 细胞在PLG-g-TA/RGD水凝胶内增殖效率明显高于对照组PLG-g-TA水凝胶. 细胞实验结果表明, 该水凝胶材料具有良好的生物相容性. cRGDfk的引入, 促进了透明软骨细胞的黏附和增殖, 显示了PLG-g-TA/RGD水凝胶材料在三维细胞培养方面的应用潜力.     

Surface Modification of Multiple Bioactive Peptides to Improve Endothelialization of Vascular Grafts

Endothelialization is an effective approach to prevent thrombus formation and enhance vascular graft survival. Surface modification of biomolecules has been proved to be effective in regulating endothelial cell behaviors. In this study, several peptides including YIGSR, RGD, and REDV sequences are covalently immobilized on the surface of electrospun silk fibroin scaffolds and the effects of combined application of these peptides on cell behaviors are studied. The results show that, compared with the scaffolds modified with single peptides, the scaffolds modified with dual peptides (YIGSR+RGD) could significantly enhance the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). However, the combination of REDV+RGD or YIGSR+REDV does not promote the adhesion or proliferation of HUVECs. Notably, YIGSR‐modified scaffolds improved HUVEC migration significantly in comparison to REDV‐ or RGD‐modified groups. Moreover, its combination with either of these two peptides also presents excellent effect on cell migration. Thus, all the data suggest that the combined application of peptides might be a promising method to enhance the endothelialization of small‐diameter vascular grafts.     

Spatiotemporal control of cell adhesion on a self-assembled monolayer having a photocleavable protecting group

Control of cell adhesion is a key technology for cell-based drug screening and for analyses of cellular processes. We developed a method to spatiotemporally control cell adhesion using a photochemical reaction. We prepared a cell-culturing substrate by modifying the surface of a glass coverslip with a self-assembled monolayer of an alkylsiloxane having a photocleavable 2-nitrobenzyl group. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was adsorbed onto the substrate to make the surface inert to cell adhesion. When exposed to UV light, the alkylsiloxane underwent a photocleavage reaction, leading to the release of BSA from the surface. Fibronectin, a protein promoting cell adhesion, was added to cover the irradiated regions and made them cell-adhesive. Seeding of cells on this substrate resulted in their selective adhesion to the illuminated regions. By controlling the sizes of the illuminated regions, we formed cell-adhesive spots smaller than single cells and located focal adhesions of the cells. Moreover, by subsequently illuminating the region alongside the cells patterned on the substrate in advance, we released their geometrical confinements and induced migration and proliferation. These manipulations were conducted under a conventional fluorescence microscope without any additional instruments. The present method of cell manipulation will be useful for cell biological studies as well as for the formation of cell arrays.     

The accumulation of phytoalexin in cucumber plant after stress

During the course of pathogens penetrating the plant cell, besides of chemical secretion, the pathogens may cause mechanical signal by the physical pressure on the plant cell. In the current study, we use the pressure as the stress signal to study the induction in plant resistance and the effect of accumulation of phytoalexin. We found that stress can induce the resistance in cucumber seeding significantly. Peptides contained RGD motif can specific block the adhesion between plant cell wall and plasma membrane. When breaking the plant cell wall and plasma membrane by using RGD peptides, the stress induction effect is almost absolutely eliminated. The results of assay with TLC and HPLC showed that stress stimulation could increase the accumulation of cucumber seeding phytoalexin. So, we can conclude that the accumulation of phytoalexin is one possible reason of improve the stress induced resistance. When block the adhesion between plant cell wall and plasma membrane by RGD, there are only part of accumulation of phytoalexin. The results suggest that stress induced resistance and accumulation of phytoalexin of plant is required for the adhesion of plant cell wall–plasma membrane.     

Photoswitched cell adhesion on surfaces with RGD peptides

Coating of surfaces by RGD peptides is well-known. Herein we describe the possibility to switch cell adhesion properties by changing the distance and orientation of the RGD peptides to the surface. A set of RGD peptides of the type cyclo(-RGDfK-) was synthesized containing the photoswitchable 4-[(4-aminophenyl)azo]benzocarbonyl central unit as spacer between the acrylamide anchor and the RGD peptide. PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) surfaces were coated with these peptides. Control of adhesion stimulation by irradiation with 366 or 450 nm light could be achieved.     

Recent Advances on Surface-modified Biomaterials Promoting Selective Adhesion and Directional Migration of Cells

The surfaces and interfaces of biomaterials interact with the biological systems in multi-scale levels, and thereby influence the biological functions and comprehensive performance in vitro and in vivo. In particular, a surface promoting the selective adhesion and directional migration of desired types of cells in complex environment is extremely important in the repair and regeneration of tissues such as peripheral nerve and blood vessel, and long-term application of intracorporal devices such ...