posted on 2021-10-19, 15:50authored byAustin
H. Williams, Adrien M. Hebert, Robert C. Boehm, Mary E. Huddleston, Meghan R. Jenkins, Orlin D. Velev, M. Tyler Nelson
In
this study, highly porous, ultrasoft polymeric mats mimicking
human tissues were formed from novel polyurethane soft dendritic colloids
(PU SDCs). PU SDCs have a unique fibrillar morphology controlled by
antisolvent precipitation. When filtered from suspension, PU SDCs
form mechanically robust nonwoven mats. The stiffness of the SDC mats
can be tuned for physiological relevance. The unique physiochemical
characteristics of the PU SDC particles dictate the mechanical properties
resulting in tunable elastic moduli ranging from 200 to 800 kPa. The
human lung A549 cells cultured on both stiff and soft PU SDC membranes
were found to be viable, capable of supporting the air–liquid
interface (ALI) cell culture, and maintained barrier integrity. Furthermore,
A549 cellular viability and uptake efficiency of aerosolized tannic
acid-coated gold nanoparticles (Ta–Au) was found to depend
on elastic modulus and culture conditions. Ta–Au nanoparticle
uptake was twofold and fourfold greater on soft PU SDCs, when cultured
at submerged and ALI conditions, respectively. The significant increase
in endocytosed Ta–Au resulted in a 20% decrease in viability,
and a 4-fold increase in IL-8 cytokine secretion when cultured on
soft PU SDCs at ALI. Common tissue culture materials exhibit super-physiological
elastic moduli, a factor found to be critical in analyzing nanomaterial
cellular interactions and biological responses.