A comparative study of cell behavior on different energetic and bioactive polymeric surfaces made from elastin-like recombinamers

This work explores cell behavior as a function of the topographic (fibers vs. films) and bioactive (RGD inclusion) design of multifunctional surfaces obtained from elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs). The surfaces have been analyzed for their differential roughness, wettability, and surface free-energy, as their precise contribution and importance of controlling critical aspects of cell behavior were investigated. The results suggest that the highest proliferative capacity of cells on the highly hydrophilic surfaces is more closely related to the surface properties than to the presence of adhesion sequences, although they act as an accelerating factor. However, on energetically unfavorable surfaces, bioactivity acquires decisive significance in ensuring cell adhesion and proliferation.