The control of cell adhesion and detachment on thin films of thermoresponsive poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-r-((3-(methacryloylamino)propyl)-dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide)]

This paper describes the formation of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-r-((3-(methacryloylamino)propyl)-dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide)] (P(NIPAAm-r-MPDSAH)) films on a glass surface via surface-initiated, atom transfer radical polymerization as a cell-culture platform. The films of PNIPAAm with various thicknesses and of P(NIPAAm-r-MPDSAH) with various ratios of NIPAAm and MPDSAH are formed to investigate the behaviors of cell adhesion and detachment. In the case of the PNIPAAm-grafted glass surfaces, the optimal film thickness, achieving the effective control of both cell adhesion and detachment, is estimated to be 11–13 nm for NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells. The adhesion and detachment behaviors of NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells are further tuned by incorporating the hydrophilic and non-biofouling MPDSAH moiety into the PNIPAAm system. The cell adhesion and detachment are controlled best, when the ratio of NIPAAm and MPDSAH is 75:1 (NIPAAm:MPDSAH).