Human Elastin-like Polypeptides-based Biomimetic Surface for Cell Culture

Currently, there is a growing interest in new biomaterials that resemble the extracellular environment and stimulate cells to organize their native architecture. Human Elastin-Like Polypeptides (HELP) are bioinspired artificial proteins derived from synthetic genes and are promising candidate components of innovative biomaterials for biomedical applications. These biomimetic polypeptides are modeled on the most regularly repeated hydrophobic domain of human elastin based on the hexapeptidic VAPGVG motif [1, 2]. The recombinant products retain some peculiar features as the inverse phase transition, a reversible temperature-dependent coacervation process. In this study we explored the potential of our two biopolymer prototypes, HELP and HELP1 for preparation of surfaces suitable for cell growth. We chose the HUVEC derivative Ea.Hy926 as a endothelial cell model in the perspective of application of our biomaterial to vascular tissue restoration. In particular, these cells have been shown to undergo to a morphological re-organization forming a multicellular network of tubelike structures resembling the some features of the angiogenic process [3]. HELP-based surfaces were realized and assayed with this biological system.