Functionalization of polycaprolactone 3D scaffolds with hyaluronic acid glycine-peptide conjugates and endothelial cell adhesionMohan, Tamilselvan (Avtor) Gürer, Fazilet (Avtor) Bračič, Doris (Avtor) Lackner, Florian (Avtor) Nagaraj, Chandran (Avtor) Maver, Uroš (Avtor) Gradišnik, Lidija (Avtor) Finšgar, Matjaž (Avtor) Kargl, Rupert (Avtor) Stana-Kleinschek, Karin (Avtor) 3D printingpolycaprolactonehyaluronic acidThis study enhances the bioactivity of polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds for tissue engineering by functionalizing them with oxidized hyaluronic acid glycine-peptide conjugates to improve endothelial cell adhesion and growth. Hyaluronic acid was conjugated with a glycine-peptide to create a bioactive interface on PCL (static water contact angle, SCA(H2O): 98°). The scaffolds were fabricated using a melt extrusion 3D printing technique. The HA-glycine peptide conjugates were oxidized and immobilized on aminolyzed PCL via Schiff-base chemistry, introducing hydrophilicity (SCA(H2O): 21°), multiple functional groups, and a negative zeta potential (-12.04 mV at pH 7.4). A quartz crystal microbalance confirmed chemical conjugation and quantified the mass (8.5-10.3 mg m-2) of oxidized HA-glycine on PCL. The functionalized scaffolds showed enhanced swelling, improved mechanical properties (2-fold increase in strength, from 26 to 51 MPa), and maintained integrity during degradation. In-vitro experiments demonstrated improved endothelial cell adhesion, proliferation and viability, suggesting the potential for vascularized tissue constructs.ACS Publications20252025-03-19 08:32:27Znanstveno delo92182UDK: 604COBISS_ID: 228392451DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01559ISSN pri članku: 1526-4602sl