Modified hydroxyethylmethacrylate hydrogels as a modelling tool for the study of cell-substratum interactions.

The interactions between cells and their extracellular substratum environment are complex and difficult to study. Defined, synthetic substrata are valuable tools for experimentally determining the role of ionic and receptor-specific interactions between cells and their substrata. Hydrogels have been modified to contain stoichiometrically defined quantities of both positive and negative charge as well as specific proteins. These synthetic surfaces are water-rich matrices that possess hydroxyl groups, positive and negative ionized charges and native proteins, and can be considered as models of extracellular matrices on which an assessment of charge contribution and macromolecular content and specificity can be addressed with respect to cell-matrix interactions. This study shows that simple gels made of polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate do not support the spreading of cells but that the generation of copolymers by the addition of monomers that contain ionizable functional groups, will permit cell spreading. These simple modifications do not lead to cellular proliferation, yet when collagen is entrapped in the hydrogel substratum, proliferation occurs. The proliferative rate of cells grown on collagen-containing surfaces may be modified by altering the stoichiometry of the ionizable polymers used to make the surface. This study describes a synthetic, definable model for the study of cell-substratum interactions and control.