General functionalization route for cell adhesion on non-wetting surfaces

We present a versatile route for promoting cell adhesion and viability on various non-wetting Surfaces. inspired by mussel adhesion mechanism. The oxidative polymerization of dopamine, a small designer molecule of the DOPA-K motif found in mussels, results in the formation of a poly(dopamine) ad-layer on any material Surface We found that the poly(dopamine) coating can promote cell adhesion oil any type of material surfaces including the well-known anti-adhesive Substrate, poly(tetrafluoroethylene) According to our results. mammalian cells well adhered and underwent general cell adhesion processes (i e. attachment to Substrate. spreading, and cytoskeleton development) oil poly(dopamine)-modified surfaces, while they barely adhered and spread on unmodified non-wetting surfaces The mussel-inspired Surface functionalization strategy is extremely useful because it does not require the time-consuming synthesis of complex linkers and the process is solvent-free and non-toxic Therefore, it call be a powerful route for converting a variety of bioinert Substrates into bioactive ones (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved