Cell-adhesive surfaces, biocompatibility

The first aspect of biocompatibility is a natural immune response. When a foreign object enters the blood stream, it can be attacked by the body s defense system. The first step is protein adsorption on an object surface. It is believed that the amount and type of protein adsorption is one of the most important steps determining whether the object is tolerated or rejected by the body. The next step is cell adhesion, which may cause aggregation and activation of platelets and triggering of the blood coagulation system with resulting thrombus formation. It may not only lead to sensor failure via surface blocking but directly threatens the patient s health. 

Modified PTFE surfaces show a high degree of biocompatibility with good cell adhesion and proliferation [7-11], However, the UV-treatment results also in a loss of mechanical stability due to the scission of polymer chains, especially for light-sources with wavelengths below 193 nm [6], Similarly to the ion implantation or plasma modification, also the UV light-irradiation is performed on both sides of a polymer foils in order to avoid the material torsion. 

Finally, biomedical applications aiming at controlled protein adsorption and cell adhesion on iniferter-driven surface graft architectures, by which a high-throughput screening of biocompatibility can be materialized, are presented. 

Inside the human body, cell adhesion to foreign biomaterial surfaces is mediated by a layer of proteins found in the blood or serum. Biomaterials that are able to control the adsorption of blood proteins will be able to control selectively the adhesion of cells. This function underlies the so-called biocompatibility of... 

The biocompatibility of clinical implants mammalian and bacterial cell adhesion to surfaces initiation of blood coagulation, complement activation by surfaces, solid phase immunoassays, and protein binding to cell surface receptors all involve proteins at interfaces. 

Morphology and surface roughness of PHB film exposed to corrosive medium (phosphate buffer) have been studied by the AFM technique. This experiment is important for surface characterization because the state of implant surface determines not only mechanism of degradation but also the protein adsorption and cell adhesion that are responsible for pol5mier biocompatibility [30], As the standard sample, we have used the PHB film with relatively low MW =170 kDa. 

Hydrophobicity of biomedical polymers influences the biocompatibility depending on the particular application such as tissue engineering, blood contacting devices, and dental implants [35]. Polymers are dynamic structures and can switch their surface functional groups depending on the environment. For example, polymeric biomaterials need to have a hydrophilic smface for most of the applications, so that the cell-adhesive proteins present in the serum will be adsorb and promote cell adhesion and proliferation. This is achieved by snrface treatment procedures such as... 

Cell adhesion to artificial surfaces plays a key role in a wide variety of demanding products and technologies such as medical implants or bioreactor systems. Adhesion of eukaryotic and bacterial cells to a biomaterial surface can be a major factor mediating its biocompatibility. For a proper integration of an implant into tissue, cell adhesion may be desired, whereas bacterial cell adhesion to medical devices must be prevented in order to minimize the risk of infections and toxicity. 

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