Preparation of lactose-modified cellulose films by a nonaqueous enzymatic reaction and their biofunctional characteristics as a scaffold for cell culture

Enzymatic glyco-modification of transparent cellulose films with lactose was achieved by nonaqueous biocatalysis, and rat hepatocyte attachment behavior to the lactose-modified cellulose films was investigated. Regenerated cellulose films were incubated with lactose using a surfactant-enveloped cellulase in lithium chloride/dimethylacetamide solvent at 37°C for 24 h, and lactose molecules were successfully introduced to the cellulose films. The initial cell adhesion on the lactose-modified cellulose films was superior to the original cellulose film. In the absence of serum, hepatocytes were significantly attached only on the lactose-modified cellulose films. This process was markedly suppressed by the addition of free lactose as an inhibitor. These results suggest that such cell adhesion proceeded through a direct interaction between galactose residues on the cellulose films and asialoglycoprotein receptors on the rat liver cell surface. This novel approach for surface glyco-modification of a cellulose matrix and its biofunctional properties are expected to provide potential application as a bioactive scaffold for cell culture engineering.