The development of an artificial bypass graft for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease would overcome the limitations of using autologous veins. An ideal graft would be a tubular structure made from an elastomeric polymer. Layers of autologous cells would then be cultured on the inside of the tube in order to render the graft nonthrombogenic. The aim of this work was to modify the surface of a polyurethane by covalently attaching recombinant extracellular matrix proteins in order to gain a degree of control over the behaviour of smooth muscle cells. A chemical modification protocol was used to attach the proteins to the polyurethane via a layer of dextran. The proteins used were an RGD-containing fragment of fibrillin-l and full length tropoelastin. These are proteins found in the artery wall. Protein imrnobilisation was verified using Enzyme Linked Imrnunosorbent Assays. RGD-dependence of cell attachment was investigated by incubating the cells with a soluble RGD-containing peptide prior to seeding. The contribution of integrins a vP3 and aSPI to the attachment of the cells was determined using blocking antibodies. Cell proliferation and spreading were quantified. Gene expression and protein production were investigated using RT-PCR, imrnunostaining and Western blotting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:502536 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Smith, Katherine Helen |
| Publisher | University of Liverpool |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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