The effect of adherens junction components on keratinocyte adhesionin vitro: Potential implications for sealing the skin‐implant interface of intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prostheses

Abstract Amputation places a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide as patients suffer life‐long complications associated with the stump‐socket interface. Skin penetrating, osseointegrated implants like intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prostheses, could overcome this, however, they rely on the formation and maintenance of an infection‐free seal at the skin‐implant interface. Epithelial cell migration around transcutaneous implants creates downgrowth, which leads to infection and implant failure. Epithelial cells form cell–cell attachments via adherens junctions and desmosomes that prevent cell migration via contact inhibition. If epithelial cells formed cell–cell attachments with an implant surface, it could facilitate stronger cell attachment and prevent downgrowth. In adherens junctions, E‐cadherin is essential in homotypic cell attachment. In this study, we have demonstrated that cell–cell adherens junctions can be formed on substrates adsorbed with E‐cadherin. We have assessed the effects of two E‐cadherin peptides and determined an optimal concentration for increasing cell attachment via adherens junctions. We have demonstrated that adsorption of 15 μg/mL of the full extracellular domain of E‐cadherin to titanium alloy significantly increases metabolic activity, cell area, and attachment of murine keratinocytesin vitro, with a fourfold increase in attachment via adherens junctions at 24, 48, and 72 h. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 100A:3463–3471, 2012.