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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 15: Poster Session I

CPP 15.21: Poster

Montag, 17. März 2025, 19:00–21:00, P4

Enhancing Endothelial Cell Attachment on PNIPAM-Based Microgel Coatings with RGD Ligand Functionalization — •Leonie Beer, Souraj Mandal, and Regine von Klitzing — Soft Matter at Interfaces, Department of Physics, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64289, Germany

Endothelial cell (EC) attachment is crucial for capillary formation and the success of artificial vascular networks in tissue engineering. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels offer a promising platform for this application due to their tunable mechanical properties and ability to incorporate bioactive ligands. This study investigates the use of PNIPAM-based microgel coatings functionalized with the integrin-binding peptide sequence arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) to enhance EC adhesion. Successful conjugation of RGD peptides was confirmed using infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. To evaluate the impact of ligand configuration, we compared three variations of RGD based peptides. The results reveal that increasing the anchor length significantly improves HUVEC recognition of the ligands, resulting in enhanced cell attachment and proliferation. These findings highlight the critical role of ligand design in optimizing biofunctional coatings. This work presents a straightforward chemical strategy for improving endothelial cell adhesion on PNIPAM-based microgel surfaces, paving the way for advanced artificial vascular networks in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Keywords: PNIPAM; Microgel; Regine von Klitzing; Peptide; Endothelial cell