Mechanisms of Hepatocyte Attachment to Keratin Biomaterials

The study aimed to understand how human hair keratin-based biomaterials promote cell adhesion, using hepatocytes as a model due to their known adhesion mechanisms and strong attachment to keratin. The research focused on the involvement of β(1)- and β(2)-integrins and the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) in this process. Results showed that blocking integrin subunits did not reduce hepatocyte attachment to keratin, and keratin adhesion did not lead to the formation of focal complexes or adhesions, nor did it increase phosphorylated-focal adhesion kinase levels. However, when ASGPR was inhibited, hepatocyte attachment to keratin decreased, suggesting that ASGPR plays a significant role in the adhesion of hepatocytes to keratin biomaterials.