Cell adhesion control by photoinduced LCST shift of PNIPAAm-based brush scaffolds.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-brush substrates are one of the most successful dynamic scaffolds for thermally controlling cell adhesion. Endowing substrates with photocontrollability promises further development and applications in the biomedical and bioengineering fields. In this study, we developed photoresponsive PNIPAAm copolymers by incorporation of spiropyran into the polymer chain, enabling the photoinduced shift of the lower critical solution temperatures.

Photoresponsive fiber scaffolds with a core-sheath nanostructure for regulating cell behaviors.

Herein, we report the fabrication of photoresponsive three-dimensional (3D) fiber scaffolds for the first time, where photoresponsive polymers are localized on their fiber surfaces of nano thickness, using a simple and practical co-axial (core-sheath) electrospinning technique. Cell adhesion to the 3D scaffolds was regulated by photostimulation.