Adsorption of Proteins and Cell Adhesion to Plasma Treated Polymer Substrates

Abstract

Plasma treatment is often used to alter cell interaction with polymer surfaces used in biomedical application. The influence of surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity on human mammary epithelial cell (HMEC) proliferation and adhesion of protein albumin to plasma treated polystyrene (PS) was studied. The PS surface was made hydrophilic or hydrophobic by treatment either in O₂ or CF₄ plasma. The rate of protein adhesion was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) after incubation of PS in albumin solution for different periods, while cell viability and morphology was studied by MTT assay and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XPS measurements have shown that the quantity of adsorbed protein was higher for both plasma treated samples than for the untreated one. No significant difference regarding protein adhesion on hydrophilic or hydrophobic plasma treated surface was found by XPS. Contrary, the results for cell proliferation showed much better proliferation on hydrophilic surface.

Keywords:

• biocompatibility
• cell adhesion
• oxygen and fluorine plasma treatment
• polymer surface modification
• protein adhesion

Notes

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