TY  - JOUR
A1  - Uysal, Karya
A1  - Firat, Ipek Serat
A1  - Creutz, Till
A1  - Aydin, Inci Cansu
A1  - Artmann, Gerhard
A1  - Teusch, Nicole
A1  - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül
T1  - A novel in vitro wound healing assay using free-standing, ultra-thin PDMS membranes
JF  - membranes
N2  - Advances in polymer science have significantly increased polymer applications in life sciences. We report the use of free-standing, ultra-thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes, called CellDrum, as cell culture substrates for an in vitro wound model. Dermal fibroblast monolayers from 28- and 88-year-old donors were cultured on CellDrums. By using stainless steel balls, circular cell-free areas were created in the cell layer (wounding). Sinusoidal strain of 1 Hz, 5% strain, was applied to membranes for 30 min in 4 sessions. The gap circumference and closure rate of un-stretched samples (controls) and stretched samples were monitored over 4 days to investigate the effects of donor age and mechanical strain on wound closure. A significant decrease in gap circumference and an increase in gap closure rate were observed in trained samples from younger donors and control samples from older donors. In contrast, a significant decrease in gap closure rate and an increase in wound circumference were observed in the trained samples from older donors. Through these results, we propose the model of a cell monolayer on stretchable CellDrums as a practical tool for wound healing research. The combination of biomechanical cell loading in conjunction with analyses such as gene/protein expression seems promising beyond the scope published here.
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/membranes13010022
N1  - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Latest Scientific Discoveries in Polymer Membranes"
VL  - 2023
IS  - 13(1)
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Uysal, Karya
A1  - Creutz, Till
A1  - Firat, Ipek Seda
A1  - Artmann, Gerhard
A1  - Teusch, Nicole
A1  - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül
T1  - Bio-functionalized ultra-thin, large-area and waterproof silicone membranes for biomechanical cellular loading and compliance experiments
JF  - Polymers
N2  - Biocompatibility, flexibility and durability make polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes top candidates in biomedical applications. CellDrum technology uses large area, <10 µm thin membranes as mechanical stress sensors of thin cell layers. For this to be successful, the properties (thickness, temperature, dust, wrinkles, etc.) must be precisely controlled. The following parameters of membrane fabrication by means of the Floating-on-Water (FoW) method were investigated: (1) PDMS volume, (2) ambient temperature, (3) membrane deflection and (4) membrane mechanical compliance. Significant differences were found between all PDMS volumes and thicknesses tested (p < 0.01). They also differed from the calculated values. At room temperatures between 22 and 26 °C, significant differences in average thickness values were found, as well as a continuous decrease in thicknesses within a 4 °C temperature elevation. No correlation was found between the membrane thickness groups (between 3–4 µm) in terms of deflection and compliance. We successfully present a fabrication method for thin bio-functionalized membranes in conjunction with a four-step quality management system. The results highlight the importance of tight regulation of production parameters through quality control. The use of membranes described here could also become the basis for material testing on thin, viscous layers such as polymers, dyes and adhesives, which goes far beyond biological applications.
Y1  - 2022
SN  - 2073-4360
VL  - 14
IS  - 11
SP  - 2213
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  -