The effect of poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) on senescence-associated alterations of human dermal fibroblasts

It is well known that biomaterials play an important role in the regulation of adhesion and growth of a variety of cultured cell types. However, whether biomaterials are associated with the senescence of cultured cells is not known. The present work shows that the decrease of the hydrophobic property of poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) from 44 mole% to 27 mole% ethylene could induce characteristic senescence-associated phenotypic changes such as larger cell shape, re-organized actin cytoskeleton, lower proliferation capacity, higher levels of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-gal) activity, and upregulation of the cell-cycle inhibitor p53 and its transcriptional target p21 in the cultured human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs). Furthermore, it was found that the cultured cells recovered their ability to grow when the substrate was reused every passage. It seemed that the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins adsorbed onto the EVAL surface might have a protective role in the cellular aging process. Therefore, whether a biomaterial strongly influences cellular aging process must be considered in the selection of a biomaterial for the biomedical application.