Wool Keratin Nanoparticle-Based Micropatterns for Cellular Guidance Applications
Dagmara J. Trojanowska, Giulia Suarato, Clarissa Braccia, Andrea Armirotti, Fabrizio Fiorentini, Athanassia Athanassiou, Giovanni Perotto
Abstract
integrin. We showed that keratin particles had this tripeptide exposed on the surface and that it could be leveraged, via patterns obtained with microcontact printing, to support and facilitate dermal fibroblast cell adhesion and direct their growth orientation. The zeta potential, isoelectric point, morphological structures, chemical composition, and biocompatibility of keratin particles and the influence of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were investigated. An appropriate ink for microcontact printing of the keratin particles was developed and micron-sized patterns were obtained. Cells adhered preferentially to the patterns, showing how this strategy could be used to functionalize biointerfaces.