Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
MG63 - 6 h
MG63 - 6 days
100 µm
FIGURE 2.36
Optical micrographs of MG63 on a-C(Si37.6at.%). On sixth day of culturing, complete colonization of cell line is
observed. (Reprinted with permission from Ong et al.,
Thin Solid Films
, 516, 5152, 2008.)
Glial cell
. Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia, are non-neuronal cells that maintain
homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for the brain's neurons.
The main functions of glial cells are to surround neurons and hold them in place, to sup-
ply nutrients and oxygen to neurons, to insulate one neuron from another, and to destroy
pathogens and remove dead neurons. The glial cells' cytotoxicity was studied by culturing
T98G human glioblastoma cell line on a-C:H [105]. The percent viability values for glial
cells cultured on a-C:H coated substrates were calculated from experimental data that was
collected using a commercial cytotoxicity assay kit. The results indicated that cell viability
was not significantly different (
p
< 0.05) from positive control values (cells cultured on tis-
sue culture plastic, 98
±
5% viability). T98-G cell adhesion and spreading were robust on
a-C:H, and the adhesion, spreading, and function were in comparison to normal culture
conditions on tissue culture plastic. As such, a-C:H coatings were considered not toxic for
cultured glial cells and fibroblasts.
Epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell
. Cell adhesion and viability studies were per-
formed using Caco-2 human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line on an “uncon-
ventional” a-C:H(PTFE) hybrid film [122]. These cells exhibit many characteristics of the
human intestinal epithelium and are sensitive to cytotoxic effects. Thus, they are suitable
for cytotoxicity studies of new biomaterials. Using this cell line and qualitative SEM and
quantitative fluorescence microscopy experiments, a-C:H(PTFE) was shown to be biocom-
patible and noncytotoxic. Caco-2 cells adhered to its surface in the short-term 12 h experi-
ments and spread and proliferated to cell monolayers in the longer-term 72 h experiments.
In particular, the quantitative MTT test showed that there were no statistical differences
between the coatings measured using the number and viability of the Caco-2 cells as indi-
cators. It is interesting to note that the Teflon containing a-C:H has a high water contact
angle of ~109°, which is around the value for bulk PTFE.
Bone marrow cells.
Many implant materials are relatively inert in bulk form, but particles
of these materials may cause adverse cellular reactions in surrounding bone, leading to
a reduction of implant lifetime [123-126]. The biological response involves the accumula-
tion and activation of inflammatory cells and subsequent bone resorption [127,128]. The
rat bone marrow cell (RBMC) culture model composed of heterogeneous cell populations,
which can advance along multiple differentiation pathways, one of which gives rise to the
