Improved cell adhesion to flat and porous plasma-treated poly-ε-caprolactone samples

In this work, PCL surfaces are exposed to a medium pressure DBD operating in dry air, argon and helium to improve PCL-cell interactions. Two PCL sample types are examined in detail: flat PCL samples and 3D porous PCL scaffolds. From XPS measurements, it is found that plasma treatment results in the incorporation of oxygen and nitrogen on the PCL surface. A higher oxygen content has also been detected inside the porous PCL structure, indicating that the plasma is capable of penetrating this structure without losing its modifying ability. To investigate the plasma treatment effect on PCL-cell interactions, cell culture tests have also been performed. Cell culture tests on flat PCL samples indicate that the applied plasma treatment increases cell numbers and improves cell attachment, independent of the used discharge gas. Moreover, a higher cell amount is detected on plasma-treated PCL scaffolds and proves that cells also grow better on plasma-treated scaffolds, suggesting the positive influence of plasma treatment on cell adhesion and proliferation. These cell culture results thus clearly prove the beneficial effect of plasma treatment on PCL-cell interactions.