Issue 36, 2019

A surface-engineered NIR light-responsive actuator for controllable modulation of collective cell migration

Abstract

Mechanical signal transduction is fundamental for maintaining and regulating cellular processes and functions. Here, we proposed a novel near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive optomechanical actuator for the directional regulation of collective cell adhesion and migration. This optomechanical actuator that is made up of a thermal-responsive copolymer hydrogel and gold nanorods (AuNRs), enables non-invasive activation by NIR light stimulation. The activation of the optomechanical actuator leads to hydrogel contraction and an increase in Young's modulus, which could be used for applying contraction force to cells cultured on the surface of the hydrogel actuator. By grafting cell adhesive peptide ligands, the cells could attach onto the surface of the actuator and displayed a NIR light illumination intensity dependent migration rate along a random orientation. To achieve the controllable modulation of cell behaviors, we employed a microcontact printing strategy for patterned presentation of adhesive ligands on this actuator and achieved directional cell alignment and cell migration through optomechanical actuation. These demonstrations suggest that this robust optomechanical actuator is promising for the optical modulation of cellular events and cell functions in various bioapplications.

Graphical abstract: A surface-engineered NIR light-responsive actuator for controllable modulation of collective cell migration

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Mai 2019
Accepted
14 Aug 2019
First published
15 Aug 2019

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019,7, 5528-5534

A surface-engineered NIR light-responsive actuator for controllable modulation of collective cell migration

J. Liu, J. Shang, Y. Chen, Y. Tian, Q. Yang, M. Chen, B. Xiong and X. Zhang, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019, 7, 5528 DOI: 10.1039/C9TB01038F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements