Cell adhesion and surface chemistry of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters: Discovery of particularly low cell adhesion behavior on poly(3-[RS]-hydroxybutyrate)

Histocompatibility of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters was examined by cell adhesion and cell proliferation tests by using fibroblast 3T3-L1 cells. It was found out that the cell adhesion decreased in the order of polystyrene (PS)>poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)>poly(3-[R]-hydroxybutyrate/valerate) ([R]-PHB/HV)>poly(butylene succinateco-lactide) (PBSL)>poly(3-[RS]-hydroxybutyrate) ([RS]-PHB). Particularly poor cell adhesion was shown for [RS]-PHB even after fibronectin had been pre-adsorbed, and cell proliferation and extension were not observed on [RS]-PHB. These different behaviors in cell adhesion could not be well explained by the differences in wettability and roughness of the film surfaces of these polymers. ATR-FTIR analysis of these films revealed that the surface concentration of methyl groups is significantly higher in the [RS]-PHB film than the other films. It was therefore considered that the poor cell adhesion of [RS]-PHB is attributable to the structural change of the protein adsorbed on the methyl-accumulated surface. Open image in new window