PCL microspheres tailored with carboxylated poly(glycidyl methacrylate)–REDV conjugates as conducive microcarriers for endothelial cell expansion

brushes was accomplished by azide-alkyne click reaction with hexynoic acid. REDV peptides were covalently conjugated to the pendent carboxyl groups on the side chain of carboxylated PGMA-COOH brushes via carbodiimide chemistry to enhance the cytocompatibility of the three-dimension (3D) PCL scaffolding system. Success in each functionalization step was ascertained by the measurement of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wet laser particle size analysis. In vitro cell-loading assay of HUVECs demonstrated a significant improvement of cell adhesion and proliferation on the REDV-immobilized PCL microsphere surfaces, and a confluent layer of HUVECs was formed after 7 days of incubation. The highly biocompatible and transportable nature of functionalized PCL microcarriers offers significant potential as a cell expansion platform.