Chitosan Film/Membrane as a Surface to Alter Brain Glioma Growth and Migration

A hydrophilic polysaccharide derived from chitin, chitosan has gained increasing popularity in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery because of its presumed biocompatibility. These applications were founded on chemical similarities between chitosan and cell surface carbohydrate moieties and certain extracellular materials. Human brain glioblastoma U87 cells modify their plasma membranes to facilitate migration and invasion through complex and as yet poorly understood interactions with the extracellular matrix of brain tissue. Because chitosan exhibits antimicrobial activities through its interaction(s) with microbial cell surface thereby altering their gene expression and cellular function and leading to cell death, we hypothesized that the properties of chitosan can be exploited to inhibit human brain glioma migration and invasion. We have designed a cell model to test this hypothesis. We cultured human glioblastoma U87 cells on a film/membrane of chitosan and compared their growth and proliferation kinetics with U87 cells not cultured on chitosan film/membrane (i.e., the control). Our results of on-going studies indicate that U87 cells cultured on chitosan film/membrane exhibited significantly slower growth and proliferation kinetics compared to U87 cells cultured in the absence of chitosan film/membrane. Thus, they may have pathophysiological implications in glioma migration and invasion.