Effect of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) contact on maturation of murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells

Understanding of biomaterial adjuvant effect and its mechanisms is essential for the effective design and selection of appropriate materials for specific applications. We have previously shown that poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), one of the most commonly studied polymers in tissue engineering, supports an adjuvant effect as measured by enhanced immune response against a co-delivered model antigen, which was dependent on the form of the biomaterial. Furthermore, we have shown that PLGA induces the maturation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro. In this study, the effect of PLGA contact on the maturation of murine bone marrow-derived DCs was investigated in part to explain the biomaterial adjuvant effect observed. Treatment of bone marrow-derived DCs from C57BL6 mice with PLGA microparticles or films lead to maturation of these cells as exemplified by increased expression of co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and production of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6. These results suggest that PLGA contact induces maturation of murine DCs, supporting our observations with human DCs. With the techniques developed in this study and given the results, our future goal is to utilize transgenic murine models to delineate the mechanisms of biomaterial-induced DC maturation.