Plasma surface modification of poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (65/35) film for tissue engineering

Plasma technique can easily be used to introduce desired functional groups or chains onto the surface of materials, so it has a special application to improve the cell affinity of scaffolds. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that plasma treatment is a unique and powerful method for modifying polymeric materials without altering their bulk properties. Cell affinity is the most important factor to be considered when biodegradable polymeric materials such as poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are utilized as a cell scaffold in tissue engineering. In this study, PLGA surface was modified with TiO₂ using magnetron sputtering in order to improve PLGA surface/cells interaction. The changes of surface properties have been characterized by contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To confirm the attachment or proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and rat cortical neural cells, MTT assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out. The results indicated that TiO₂-coated PLGA film became hydrophilic and enhanced cell affinity and/or proliferation. It has been suggested that TiO₂ -coated PLGA matrix can be a candidate for cell scaffolds in tissue engineering.