Biofunctionalized thermoresponsive interfaces for activated tissue regeneration

Here we prepared biofunctionalized thermoresponsive surfaces co-immobilized with RGDS and insulin (INS) for facilitating cell adhesion and proliferation in culture. Surface-immobilized RGDS facilitated initial cell adhesion while INS did not. However, INS immobilization induced effective cell proliferation. Much less amount of immobilized INS was effective to facilitate cell growth than the addition of soluble INS to culture medium on unmodified thermoresponsive surfaces. Co-immobilization with RODS supported cell growth in the presence or absence of serum. Adhered cells detached spontaneously as single cells or viable tissue monolayers from biofunctionalized thermoresponsive surfaces simply by lowering culture temperature. In conclusion, biofunctionalized thermoresponsive interfaces co-immobilized with adhesive peptides and growth factors should be innovative tools for both rapid cell proliferation and non-invasive harvesting of cultured tissues for cell sheet engineering applications.