Issue 18, 2013

Stiffness-mediated adhesion of cervical cancer cells to soft hydrogel films

Abstract

We report engineered hydrogel thin-films with varying degrees of covalent crosslinking, which demonstrate enhanced HeLa cell adhesion with decreasing film stiffness. This trend is contrary to previous findings for tumour cell adhesion on hydrogel substrates, and is attributed to the extremely soft nature of the films studied, allowing for a greater cell–film contact area and the development of adhesive focal contacts. Adhesion based on mechanical tuning of the film was decoupled from chemical effects through characterisation and analysis of film surface roughness, hydrophobicity and charge.

Graphical abstract: Stiffness-mediated adhesion of cervical cancer cells to soft hydrogel films

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
26 Feb 2013
Accepted
15 Mar 2013
First published
27 Mar 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 4580-4584

Stiffness-mediated adhesion of cervical cancer cells to soft hydrogel films

J. P. Best, S. Javed, J. J. Richardson, K. L. Cho, M. M. J. Kamphuis and F. Caruso, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 4580 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM50587A

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