Thermoresponsive block copolymer brush for temperature-modulated hepatocyte separation

Hepatic tissue engineering may be an effective approach for the treatment of liver disease; however, its practical application requires hepatic cell separation technologies that do not involve cell surface modification and maintain cell activity. In this study, we developed hepatocyte cell separation materials using a thermoresponsive polymer and a polymer with high affinity to hepatocytes. A block copolymer of poly( N-p -vinylbenzyl- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl-(1→4)- d -gluconamide) (PVLA) and poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) [PVLA- b -PNIPAAm] was prepared through two steps of atom transfer radical polymerization. On the prepared PVLA- b -PNIPAAm brush, HepG2 cells (model hepatocytes) adhered at 37 °C and detached at 20 °C, attributed to the temperature-modulated affinity between PVLA and HepG2. Cells from the immortalized human hepatic stellate cell line (TWNT-1) did not adhere to the copolymer brush, and RAW264.7 cells (mouse macrophage; model Kupffer cells) adhered to the copolymer brush, regardless of temperature. Using the difference in cell adhesion properties on the copolymer brush, temperature-modulated cell separation was successfully demonstrated. A mixture of HepG2, RAW264.7, and TWNT-1 cells was seeded on the copolymer brush at 37 °C for adherence. By reducing the temperature to 20 °C, adhered HepG2 cells were selectively recovered with a purity of approximately 85% and normal activity. In addition, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived hepatocytes adhered on the PVLA- b -PNIPAAm brush at 37 °C and detached from the copolymer brush at 20 °C, whereas the undifferentiated iPS cells did not adhere, indicating that the prepared PVLA- b -PNIPAAm brush could be utilized to separate hepatocyte differentiated and undifferentiated cells. These results indicated that the newly developed PVLA- b -PNIPAAm brush can separate hepatic cells from contaminant cells by temperature modulation, without affecting cell activity or modifying the cell surface. Thus, the copolymer brush is expected to be a useful separation tool for cell therapy and tissue engineering using hepatocytes. A thermoresponsive block copolymer brush with a polymer showing hepatocyte affinity was prepared via two-step ATRP. The prepared polymer brush can capture target hepatic cells at 37 °C and the captured cells can be recovered at 20 °C.