The significance of hydrated surface molecular mobility in the control of the morphology of adhering fibroblasts

The effects of the hydrated molecular mobility and the surface free energy of polymer surfaces on fibronectin adsorption and fibroblast adhesion were investigated. ABA-type block copolymers composed of polyrotaxane (PRX) with different number of threaded α-cyclodextrin (α-CD), random copolymers with similar chemical composition to the PRX block copolymers, and conventional polymers were prepared to determine a wide range of hydrated molecular mobility (Mf) values estimated by quartz crystal microbalance-dissipation (QCM-D) measurements. Fibronectin adsorption was highly dependent on surface free energy, and high surface fibronectin density resulted in a large projected cell area on the polymer surfaces. However, the morphology of adhering fibroblasts was not explained by the surface free energy, but it was found to be strongly dependent on the Mf values of the polymer surfaces in aqueous media. These results emphasize the importance of Mf in the discussion of the elongated morphology of adhering fibroblasts on various polymer surfaces.