Oligosaccharide-Carrying Styrene-Type Macromers. Polymerization and Specific Interactions Between the Polymers and Liver Cells

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Abstract
Polystyrene derivatives with lactose, glucose, maltose, maltotriose, maltopentaose, and maltoheptaose on each benzene ring were prepared by the radical polymerization of a new class of macromers synthesized by coupling the corresponding oligosaccharide lactones with p-vinylbenzylamine. These polymers consisting of amphiphilic structural units were water-soluble, and organic solutes were bound to hydrophobic microenvironments of the polymers in water. α-D-Glucopyranose-carrying polymers were recognized and precipitated by concanavalin A. Cultivation of liver cells (hepatocytes) was attempted using culture dishes whose surface was coated with lactose-, glucose-, maltose-, and maltotriose-carrying polystyrenes. It has been found that a lactose-carrying polystyrene (PVLA) is a useful surface material for hepatocyte culture. 1) Highly specific adhesion of hepatocytes was attained for PVLA-coated dishes with or without serum supplement. 2) The cell adhesion was a threshold phenomenon with respect to the PVLA concentration on the dish. 3) The cell adhesion was effectively inhibited when hepatocytes were treated with PVLA molecules in the medium prior to culture. 4) The adhesion was not inhibited by albumin, an adhesion-inhibitory protein in serum. These findings suggest that pendent galactose residues of a PLVA molecule functioned as a strong recognition determinant for hepatocytes. We assume that multi-antennary, high-density galactose residues of PVLA are attributed to the specific adhesion of hepatocytes.