TY - JOUR T1 - Polmunary epithelial barrier formation on biodegradable poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA) membrane JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.PA3994 VL - 48 IS - suppl 60 SP - PA3994 AU - Salvatore Montesanto AU - Franco Conforti AU - Natalie Smithers AU - Fabio Bucchieri AU - Valerio Brucato AU - Vincenzo La Carrubba AU - Donna Davies Y1 - 2016/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA3994.abstract N2 - Aims: Investigation of epithelial barrier formation using PLLA membranes for application in bioengineering.Background: The development of functional and biocompatible substitutes for damaged tissue or organs is a major challenge in biomedical engineering. The epithelial barrier plays a central role in tissue homeostasis and immunity preventing damage and contamination of the interstitial tissues. Different in vitro models of the lung and intestinal epithelial barriers have been well characterized, however these tend to use non-biodegradable and/or poorly biocompatible scaffolds. Therefore, there is a need for better supports for epithelial cells for future applications in tissue engineering.Methods: Biodegradable PLLA membranes of differing morphologies were used as scaffolds to create an epithelial barrier model. Bronchiolar epithelial cells (H441) were cultured on PLLA membranes in transwell supports in order to assess barrier formation as measured by trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER).Results: H441 cells readily attached to PLLA membranes and formed a confluent cell layer within two days. This was accompanied by a significant increase in TEER and correlated with the formation of intercellular tight junctions.Conclusions: A functional epithelial barrier can be established on biodegradable PLLA membranes that are not only biocompatible but be produced with different morphologies and mechanical properties. Therefore, PLLA membranes have potential utility in tissue engineering applications requiring bio-absorbable membranes in lung tissue or organ regeneration. ER -