INFLUENCE OF SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC SUBSTRATES ON CELL-ADHESION

The aim of this study was to control the influence of some surface characteristics on tissue culture adhesion and growth. Tissue culture involved both corneal and vascular chick embryo tissue. The selected materials were polymers chosen according to their surface free energy and their topography. Tissue bioadhesion was evaluated through the rate of cell detachment in a trypsin solution. Wetting potentials of the substrate were determined by the advancing contact angle method using a new computerized angle meter. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic components of the surface free energy were measured according to Good-Van Oss model. The developped area was measured from 3D surface topographies of materials obtained using a Mechanical Scanning Microscope (MSM). The dispersive (hydrophobic) components of surface free energy, Ys(LW), increased with a slight roughness whereas the polar (hydrophilic) components, Ys decreased. Cell adhesion appeared to be slightly influenced by the hydrophobicity of the substrate, how ever no correlation was found between een cell adhesion and polar components of the substrates.