%0 Journal Article
%T Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Responses to Bioactive Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Interfaces
%A Robert G. Newcomer
%A Maroun D. Moussallem
%A Thomas C. S. Keller
%A Joseph B. Schlenoff
%A Qing-Xiang Amy Sang
%J Biotechnology Research International
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.4061/2011/854068
%X Under normal physiological conditions, mature human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (hCASMCs) exhibit a ˇ°contractileˇ± phenotype marked by low rates of proliferation and protein synthesis, but these cells possess the remarkable ability to dedifferentiate into a ˇ°syntheticˇ± phenotype when stimulated by conditions of pathologic stress. A variety of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMU) films are shown here to exhibit bioactive properties that induce distinct responses from cultured hCASMCs. Surfaces terminated with Nafion or poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) induce changes in the expression and organization of intracellular proteins, while a hydrophilic, zwitterionic copolymer of acrylic acid and 3-[2-(acrylamido)-ethyl dimethylammonio] propane sulfonate (PAA-co-PAEDAPS) is resistant to cell attachment and suppresses the formation of key cytoskeletal components. Differential expression of heat shock protein 90 and actin is observed, in terms of both their magnitude and cellular localization, and distinct cytoplasmic patterns of vimentin are seen. The ionophore A23187 induces contraction in confluent hCASMC cultures on Nafion-terminated surfaces. These results demonstrate that PEMU coatings exert direct effects on the cytoskeletal organization of attaching hCASMCs, impeding growth in some cases, inducing changes consistent with phenotypic modulation in others, and suggesting potential utility for PEMU surfaces as a coating for coronary artery stents and other implantable medical devices. 1. Introduction Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are implicated as key contributors to numerous vascular pathologies, including atherosclerosis and the restenosis of angioplasty-treated blood vessels in the presence or absence of coronary stents, given their remarkable capacity for phenotypic modulation in response to pathological stressors [1¨C7]. Rather than achieving a state of terminal differentiation upon maturity, VSMCs are capable of dedifferentiation through apparently reversible pathways, as they transition between a ˇ°contractileˇ± state marked by low rates of proliferation and protein synthesis, and a ˇ°syntheticˇ± state marked by an increase in these parameters. An unknown number of transitional states likely reside between these two extremes, and the possibility that the transitory pathways between these two phenotypic states may not be identical lends additional complexity to this scenario [7]. There is also evidence that phenotypically heterogeneous subpopulations of VSMCs may exist within the arterial media itself [2, 6], but when placed into in vitro culture
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/btri/2011/854068/