Enhanced biocompatibility for SAOS-2 osteosarcoma cells by surface coating with hydrophobic epoxy resins

Implants for surgical needs are produced from different materials including metals, alloys, ceramics or polymers. Metal implants are preferred in those disciplines where sufficient mechanical strength is needed, including traumatology, orthopedic or dental surgery. Further, modern tissue engineering techniques require scaffold materials to generate shape and stability for in vitro generated transplants. However, the biocompatibility and surface contact of most implants or scaffold materials to vital bone or other tissues are not optimal. Therefore we investigated the biocompatibility of different polymer surfaces to an osteoblastic cell line as a function of wettability or hydrophobicity to describe some of the surface parameters influencing the cell to implant or cell to scaffold contact.

Glass slides were coated with different polymers and in some cases physically or chemically modified. SAOS-2 osteosarcoma cells were used for the biocompatibility tests on 16 different polymers and modifications thereof. The viability of the adherent cells was investigated by MTT assay. Commercially available tissue culture vessels served as controls.

We report that excellent biocompatibility to SAOS-2 osteoblastic cells can be obtained with hydrophobic surfaces generated for instance by epoxy resins. Chemical modification of epoxy resin surfaces yielded even a further increased viability index surpassing the viability index obtained with cell culture vessels.

We conclude that modified hydrophobic surfaces represent an interesting group of compounds for coating endoprosthetic implants or scaffolds for the purposes of tissue engineering.