Effects of "wettability" of biomaterials on culture cells

New objectives of the development of biomaterials in recent years include how to control surface characteristics of materials and the attachment of cells to implant sites. This study clarified the effect of "wettability" of materials on culture cells, with wettability being expressed by the contact angle of the material to the water. First, low-temperature plasma treatment was administered so that samples of the same materials and shapes could be obtained, differing only in wettability. The contact angles at the surfaces of the samples and their surface roughness were then measured, and surfaces were analyzed by ESCA. For clarification of the biological response of the cell to wettability, attachment of connective tissues and epithelial-tissue-originated established cell lines to the material and its cell spreading were investigated in each test sample. As a result, it was found that the contact angle of each material used in the experiment affected both the cell attachment and spreading rates; thus, wettability of biomaterials is considered to be an important parameter of biological effect at the cell level.