Cytoprotective Silica Coating of Individual Mammalian Cells through Bioinspired Silicification.

The cytoprotective coating of physicochemically labile mammalian cells with a durable material has potential applications in cell-based sensors, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine, as well as providing a platform for fundamental single-cell studies in cell biology. In this work, HeLa cells in suspension were individually coated with silica in a cytocompatible fashion through bioinspired silicification. The silica coating greatly enhanced the resistance of the HeLa cells to enzymatic attack by trypsin and the toxic compound poly- (allylamine hydrochloride), while suppressing cell division in a controlled fashion. This bioinspired cytocompatible strategy for single-cell coating was also applied to NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and Jurkat cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]