Neutrophil-Inspired Film for Nonadhesive Capture of Tumor Cells through Synergistic Functionalization of Zwitterions and Aptamers

Abstract

The development of biomaterials capable of capturing nondestructively capturing tumor cells is critical for advancing cancer diagnostics and personalized therapies. However, designing specific capture materials for maintaining the structure of captured cells is still a challenge due to the undesirable nonspecific adhesion. Recent evidence showed that neutrophils possess the tumor cell targeting property via the binding of β-integrin on neutrophil membranes to VCAM-1 expressed on tumor cells and natural antiadhesion properties due to the phosphorylcholine on the cell membrane. Herein, we present a neutrophil-inspired nanofibrous film for the nondestructive capture of tumor cells. The polyurethane and polyacrylonitrile (PU–PAN) blend film was fabricated by electrospinning as a matrix. A tailored zwitterionic polymer of poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PScG), mimicking the phosphorylcholine on the cell membrane, was synthesized to graft onto the PU chain for preparing the PScG/PU–PAN film. Then, amino-modified aptamer (NH₂-AS1411) targeting tumor cells, mimicking the β-integrin on neutrophil membranes, was further grafted onto hydrolyzed PAN surface to obtain the AS/PScG/PU–PAN film. The resulting AS/PScG/PU–PAN film demonstrates excellent specific capture ability of tumor cells, while maintaining the morphology of tumor cells, providing a promising solution for cancer therapy.