MOLECULAR DESIGN OF 3-DIMENSIONAL ARTIFICIAL EXTRACELLULAR-MATRIX - PHOTOSENSITIVE POLYMERS CONTAINING CELL ADHESIVE PEPTIDE

A photodimerizable monomer, methacrylic acid- (7-coumaroxy) ethyl ester, was synthesized and was copolymerized with a hydrophilic monomer (N, N-dimethylacrylamide) to obtain a water-soluble photosensitive polymer. Irradiation of the copolymer film and aqueous solution with a high-pressure mercury lamp resulted in highly hydrated gel. The gel yield was enhanced with the content of the photodimerizable group in the copolymer and the irradiation time. The degree of swelling of the gels decreased concomitantly. Incorporation of the well-known cell adhesive peptidyl ligand Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) into photosensitive copolymers attained a biologically active hydrophilic gel matrix upon UV light irradiation. Irradiation of a buffer solution of the latter copolymer premixed with smooth muscle cells entrapped the cells throughout the gel matrix. This indicates that the designed polymer and the resulting cell-incorporated hydrogel are biomimic to an extracellular matrix and to the media of the vascular wall, respectively.