To determine whether the surface free energy of polymer materials influences the spreading of 13 polymers and glass were related to spreading and growth of human skin fibroblasts. Experiments were performed in both the presence and absence of serum proteins. We calculated the surface free energy from contact angles of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), n-propanol/PBS mixtures, and alpha-bromonaphthalene on the polymers, using the concept of polar and dispersion components accounting for spreading pressures. Cell spreading and substratum surface free energy (gamma s) showed a characteristic sigmoid relationship both in the presence and in the absence of serum proteins; good spreading only occurred when gamma s was higher than approximately 57 erg . cm-2. In the presence of serum proteins, cell spreading is similar on most materials; only few materials show relatively high cell spreading. Cell growth in the presence of serum proteins did not differ significantly on the various polymers with reference to their gamma s values. In contrast, two groups of polymers could be distinguished in the absence of serum with respect to cell growth. The first group showed increasing cell growth with increasing gamma s, whereas the second group showed consistently low cell growth. The results demonstrate the complex relationship between cell spreading and substratum surface free energy as well as the role of serum proteins in modifying the surface characteristics of polymers in relation to cell spreading and growth.

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One of the ways to reconstruct a nerve defect is to use a biodegradable nerve guide. The aim of this study was to establish a nerve guide constructed of an amorphous copolymer of lactic acid-caprolactone. A pilot study was set up to elucidate the effect of the tube dimensions on nerve regeneration. Four types of nerve guides, with internal diameters ranging from 1.12-1.23 mm and wall thicknesses ranging from 0.34-0.68, were tested for this purpose. We evaluated the biodegradation, foreign body reaction and nerve regeneration by light microscopy, after three different implantation times (1, 2, and 3 months). After 2 months, we observed that all types of nerve guides had changed from a transparent to an opaque and swollen state, and that they had lost their strength. The foreign body reaction was characterized by the presence of giant cells and fibroblasts surrounding the degrading nerve guide. From this pilot study, we conclude that nerve guide type 1, with an internal diameter of 1.23 mm and a wall thickness of 0.34 mm, can ensure nerve regeneration in the case of a 1-cm gap in the sciatic nerve of the rat. Nerve guides types 3 and 4, with relatively small lumens, show nerve compression due to a more pronounced swelling of the degrading tube.