Matrix Protein Interactions with Synthetic Surfaces

Based on the hypothesis that material substrates are able to trigger the regeneration of a cell population by making use of tissue engineering techniques. Within the context of the cell-protein-material interaction paradigm, this chapter presents a comprehensive description of the interface between material surfaces and living cells, including protein adsorption, cell adhesion, and matrix remodeling phenomena at the cell-material interface. Cell adhesion involves different physicochemical phenomena, in which several biological molecules participate: extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cell membrane proteins, and cytoskeleton proteins. The initial cell-material interaction usually involves the adsorption of proteins such as fibronectin (FN), vitronectin (VN), fibrinogen (FG), representing the so-called soluble matrix proteins in the biological fluids. The adsorption of proteins onto the surface of a biomaterial from the surrounding fluid phase is a complex, dynamic, energy-driven process, controlled by protein properties, material surface properties, and solution conditions.