Use of Modified 3D Scaffolds to Improve Cell Adhesion and Drive Desired Cell Responses.

In the most common approach of tissue engineering, a polymeric scaffold with a well-defined architecture has emerged as a promising platform for cells adhesion and guide their proliferation and differentiation into the desired tissue or organ. An ideal model for the regeneration should mimic clinical conditions of tissue injury, create a permissive microenvironment for diffusion of nutrients, gases and growth factors and permit angiogenesis. In this work, we used a 3D support made of synthetic resorbable polylactic acid (PLLA), which has considerable potential because of its well-known biocompatibility and biodegradability. One of the factors that influence cell adhesion to the scaffold is its porosity degree, but surface properties represent the main driving forces that influence the composition and orientation of proteins that will be absorbed onto material surfaces. We used scaffolds in which it was possible to control pore size and that had undergone on type-I collagen treatment, to mimic the extra cellular matrix, or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) combined with plasma treatment, in order to modify surface chemistry of the material. Our results show different cell affinity in non-treated scaffolds compared to type-I collagen or plasma modified ones. These surface changes are of considerable interest for tissue engineering and other areas of biomaterials science, where it can be useful to improve the surface of biomedical polymers to facilitate the colonization of the structure by the cells and obtain a more rapid regeneration or tissue replacement. Copyright © 2012, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.