Experimental design
Gel fabrication
Gel functionalization with fibronectin
Gel functionalization with TAMRA-RGD peptide
Silicone breast implant–derived materials
Mechanical characterization
Contact angle measurements
Steel ball indentation measurements
Gel preparation with Span85 surfactant treatment for cellular assays
Cell lines and culture
Antibodies and reagents
Cell morphology and spreading assays
Cell proliferation assays
Gene expression analysis
Isolation and culture of PBMCs
Preparation of a collagen master mix for 3D collagen I gels
PBMC-silicone interaction assay
PBMC—silicone droplets interaction assay
Immunofluorescence imaging
Hertz contact model with surface tension
Statistics
A standard rotational rheometer MCR 302 (Anton Paar) equipped with a Peltier temperature device (P-PTD 200/80I) was used. Temperature was set to 25°C for all measurements. A biconical disk–based measuring system (BiC68-5) in conjunction with an Interfacial Rheology System cell was used to measure the interfacial moduli. A normal force assisted surface detection methodology was used to position the bicone geometry accurately at the buffer-silicone oil interface. A special interfacial analysis software package based on the unique solution of the full flow field for a biconical geometry (49) was used for the calculation of the absolute interfacial rheological properties.