Correlation of proliferation, morphology and biological responses of fibroblasts on LDPE with different surface wettability

Abstract

In order to find a correlation between cell adhesion, growth and biological response with different wettability, NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells were cultured on plasma-treated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film generated with radio frequency. Different surface wettabilities (water contact angle 90-40 degrees ) were created by varying the duration of plasma treatment between 0 and 15 s, respectively. Growth and proliferation rate of cells on LDPE surfaces was evaluated by MTT assay, and cell morphology, by means of spreading and adhesion, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The expression of particular genes in cells contacted on films with different wettability was analyzed by RT-PCR. Using the MTT assay, we confirmed that the amount of cell adhesion was higher on surface of film with a water contact angle of 60 degrees than with other water contact angle. Also, the proliferation rate of cells was highest with a water contact angle of 60 degrees . It was confirmed by SEM that the morphology of cells adhered with a water contact angle of 50-60 degrees was more flattened and activated than on other surfaces. Furthermore, c-fos mRNA in cells showed maximum expression on the film with contact angle range of 50-60 degrees and c-myc mRNA expressed highly on the film with a contact angle of 50 degrees . Finally, p53 gene expression increased as wettability increase. These results indicate that a water contact angle of the polymer surfaces of 50-60 degrees was suitable for cell adhesion and growth, as well as biological responses, and the surface properties play an important role for the morphology of adhesion, growth and differentiation of cells.

Effects of plasma surface treatments of diamond-like carbon and polymeric substrata on the cellular behavior of human fibroblasts

“…This can be correlated with a progressive loss with aging of the nitrogen and oxygen polar groups formed on the DLC-treated surfaces that leads to a reduction of the surface energy mainly at expense of the polar contribution as reported in Table 2. This evolution agrees with previous results by Kim et al 5 for polymer surfaces showing that after 1 day of culture, cells seem to adhere onto all the surfaces independent of their water contact angle. After 2 or 3 days of assay, fibroblasts proliferation increases if the sample depicts water contact angles smaller than 60 .…”

“…1,3,4 Wetting, chemistry, and topography of the surface have been reported as important factors affecting this process facilitating surface-cell interaction and the cell growth. [5][6][7][8] To tailor these characteristics different surface treatment methods have been used. 1,3,4,9 Among them plasma surface treatments are one of the most effective procedures favoring cell adhesion and improving the biocompatibility of materials with live tissues.…”

“…26 To avoid such a limitation, plasma formation of surface oxygenated groups like hydroxyl and carboxyl species has been proposed as a way for favoring the cell adhesion 1,6,25,27 and the fibroblast growth. 3,[5][6][7] Similarly, it is also known that nitrogen functionalities like amine groups formed on polymer surfaces may enhance their bioactivity. Although their actual role in enhancing the cell adhesion is less known and still a matter of controversy, 6 it is generally believed that they contribute to the immobilization of negatively charged biomolecules.…”

The use of fibrin and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) hybrid scaffold for articular cartilage tissue engineering: an in vivo analysis

“…Hybridisation of various synthetically derived and naturally derived biodegradable polymers has been widely used for scaffold tissue engineering (Fan et al, 2006;Khang et al, 2003;Kim et al, 2006;Kim et al, 2007;Ko et al, 2007). Advantages of synthetically derived S Munirah et al Fibrin/PLGA hybrid scaffold for cartilage formation in vivo biodegradable polymers include controllable degradation rate, high reproducibility and ease of fabrication into specific shapes.…”

Optimization of atmospheric plasma treatment of LDPE films: influence on adhesive properties and ageing behavior

“…The ageing behavior of plasma treated samples depend on different parameters, such as ageing medium, cross-linking, temperature, humidity, cristallinity, etc., as some authors have already studied 16,18 .…”