MICROPATTERNED HYALURONAN SURFACES PROMOTE LYMPHATIC ENDOTHELIAL CELL ALIGNMENT AND ORIENT THEIR GROWTH

Abstract

The implant ofa biocompatible devicecapable ofguiding lymphatic vessel regenerationin patients who underwent removal oflymph nodes might contribute to restoring anefficient lymphatic drainage and help toprevent the occurrence of lymphedema. Theaim of this study was to evaluate whether amicrostructured surface could provide aguidance for the growth of cultured lymphaticendothelial cells. The presence of microstructureson a surface permits the control of celladhesion, migration, proliferation, anddifferentiation. We report here that lymphaticendothelial cells align on microstructures ofalternating hyaluronan and aminosylanizedglass stripes obtained by photoimmobilization.Cells consistently spread and proliferate onlyon aminosylanized glass. They orient parallelto the longitudinal axis of the stripe. A patternofalternating stripes ofaminosylanized glassuniformly covered by elongated cells and ofhyaluronan devoid of cells eventually forms.The presence of av-integrins along cell bordersof cells in search of contact with each otherand at the leading edge of migrating cells, siteswhere new focal adhesions are presumablyformed, indicates that integrin-mediatedadhesion to the substrate guides cell migrationalong the microstructure. Micropatternedsurfaces of hyaluronan thus proved toadequately orient the growth of cells allowingthe regeneration of lymphatic endothelium inthe desired direction.