2. Academic Validation
  3. Catecholamine-Derived Surface Chemistry Regulates Cell-Type-Specific Adhesion and Migration in Uterine Cells

Catecholamine-Derived Surface Chemistry Regulates Cell-Type-Specific Adhesion and Migration in Uterine Cells

  • ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2026 Mar 9;12(3):1535-1549. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c01850.
Alexander J Steeves 1 2,  Fabio Variola 1 2 3 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
  • 2 Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering (OCIBME), Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
  • 3 Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
  • 4 Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L1, Canada.
PMID: 41715268 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c01850
Abstract

Effective healing of the uterine wall after surgical or pathological injury remains a major clinical challenge that can impair fertility and quality of life. Bioadhesive Polymers derived from catecholamines offer a promising platform for uterine tissue engineering, yet how subtle differences in precursor chemistry direct specific uterine cell functions is not well understood. Here, we compare poly(dopamine) (pDA), poly(L-DOPA) (PLD), and poly(L-norepinephrine) (pLNE) coatings and evaluate their effects on human endometrial stromal cells (T-HESCs) and myometrial cells (PHM1-41). Physicochemical characterization revealed distinct topographies and adhesion properties: pLNE and PLD displayed greater hydrophilicity and markedly higher global adhesion forces than pDA, attributable to greater exposure of an underlying adhesive film. Biologically, pDA and pLNE enhanced proliferation, adhesion, and migration in both cell types, whereas PLD elicited cell-specific responses, promoting significant adhesion and migration in myometrial cells but not endometrial cells. Focal adhesion analysis confirmed a dynamic interplay between substrate chemistry and cellular response, providing mechanistic insight into these behaviors. Collectively, the data show that catecholamine-based chemistries can be tuned to direct uterine cell-specific behaviors, establishing a framework for bioadhesives that selectively guide endometrial and myometrial cells to improve uterine repair.

Keywords

bioadhesives; cell migration; focal adhesions; mechanotransduction; polycatecholamines; polydopamine; uterine repair.

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