Combinatorial plasma polymerization approach to produce thin films for testing cell proliferation

• Published in: Colloids and surfaces, B, Biointerfaces B, Biointerfaces, 2014-01, Vol.113, p.320-329
• Main Authors: Antonini, V., Torrengo, S., Marocchi, L., Minati, L., Serra, M. Dalla, Bao, G., Speranza, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; C-based thin films; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Combinatorial plasma polymerization; Contact angle; Humans; Polymerization; Surface Properties; Wettability; XPS
• ISSN: 0927-7765; 1873-4367
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2013.09.020

Thin films with different kinds of functionalities are deposited by combinatorial plasma deposition to control cell adhesion. •Combinatorial plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of carbon based thin films was performed.•Perfect control of the surface chemistry using combinatorial PECVD deposition was obtained;.•Oxy- and amin-C-films display similar water contact angles for similar amounts of plasma precursors.•Deposited films are highly stable with time.•Cell adhesion and viability are determined mainly by surface chemistry instead of roughness or wettability. Plasma enhanced physical vapor depositions are extensively used to fabricate substrates for cell culture applications. One peculiarity of the plasma processes is the possibility to deposit thin films with reproducible chemical and physical properties. In the present work, a combinatorial plasma polymerization process was used to deposit thin carbon based films to promote cell adhesion, in the interest of testing cell proliferation as a function of the substrate chemical properties. Peculiarity of the combinatorial approach is the possibility to produce in just one deposition experiment, a set of surfaces of varying chemical moieties by changing the precursor composition. A full characterization of the chemical, physical and thermodynamic properties was performed for each set of the synthesized surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to measure the concentration of carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine functional groups on the substrate surfaces. A perfect linear trend between polar groups’ density and precursors’ concentration was found. Further analyses reveled that also contact angles and the correspondent surface energies of all deposited thin films are linearly dependent on the precursor concentration. To test the influence of the surface composition on the cell adhesion and proliferation, two cancer cell lines were utilized. The cell viability was assessed after 24h and 48h of cell culture. Experiments show that we are able to control the cell adhesion and proliferation by properly changing the thin film deposition conditions i.e. the concentration and the kind of chemical moiety on the substrate surface. The results also highlight that physical and chemical factors of biomaterial surface, including surface hydrophobicity and free energy, chemical composition, and topography, can altered cell attachment.