Layer-by-layer assembly of chitosan and recombinant biopolymers into biomimetic coatings with multiple stimuli-responsive properties

In this work, biomimetic smart thin coatings using chitosan and a recombinant elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) containing the cell attachment sequence arginine-glycine-(aspartic acid) (RGD) are fabricated through a layer-by-layer approach. The synthetic polymer is characterized for its molecular mass and composition using mass spectroscopy and peptide sequencing. The adsorption of each polymeric layer is followed in situ at room temperature and pH 5.5 using a quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, showing that both polymers can be successfully combined to conceive nanostructured, multilayered coatings. The smart properties of the coatings are tested for their wettability by contact angle (CA) measurements as a function of external stimuli, namely temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Wettability transitions are observed from a moderate hydrophobic surface (CAs approximately from 62° to 71°) to an extremely wettable one (CA considered as 0°) as the temperature, pH, and ionic strength are raised above 50 °C, 11, and 1.25 M, respectively. Atomic force microscopy is performed at pH 7.4 and pH 11 to assess the coating topography. In the latter, the results reveal the formation of large and compact structures upon the aggregation of ELRs at the surface, which increase water affinity. Cell adhesion tests are conducted using a SaOs-2 cell line. Enhanced cell adhesion is observed in the coatings, as compared to a coating with a chitosan-ending film and a scrambled arginine-(aspartic acid)-glycine (RDG) biopolymer. The results suggest that such films could be used in the future as smart biomimetic coatings of biomaterials for different biomedical applications, including those in tissue engineering or in controlled delivery systems.