Polydopamine-Decorated Sticky, Water-Friendly, Biodegradable Polycaprolactone Cell Carriers

A bioinspired adhesive material, polydopamine (pDA), was employed as an interfacial glue to stably immobilize human neural stem cells (hNSCs) on the external surface of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres, thereby serving as versatile key systems that can be used for cell carriers. The pDA decoration on the PCL microspheres has been resulted in robust hNSC immobilization as well as proliferation on their curved surfaces. The pDA coating has transformed the hydrophobic PCL systems toward water-friendly and sticky characteristics, thereby resulting in full dispersion in aqueous solution and stable adherence onto a wet biological surface. Adeno-associated virus, a safe gene vector capable of effectively regulating cell behaviors, can be decorated on the PCL surfaces and delivered efficiently to hNSCs adhered to the microsphere exteriors. These distinctive multiple benefits of the sticky pDA microspheres can provide core technologies that can boost the therapeutic effects of cell therapy approaches. Polydopamine interfacial glue can create a highly versatile platform cell carrier that can maximize the therapeutic benefits of cell replacement approaches. The polydopamine coating on polycaprolactonemicrospheres devised sticky, water-friendly, and biodegradable cell carriers, where cells are robustly immobilized on their external surfaces. The sticky cell carrier demonstrates great potential to provide crucial clues to implement the significant advancement of cell therapy approaches.