Protein adsorption and cell behaviors on polycaprolactone film: The effect of surface topography

Protein adsorption is the first phenomenon that occurs when foreign materials are inserted into the body. Materials used in biomedical applications can have different surface topologies. Knowledge of the effect of the surface on protein adsorption is important due to its influence on cell behavior. The main objective of this study was to analyze polycaprolactone (PCL) films with different surface topologies. Protein adsorption was studied using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the biomolecule. Different surface topologies of PCL were induced by phase separation using solvents with various solubility parameters. The investigated solvents were chloroform, acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and ethanol (EtOH). The PCL films with different surface topologies and protein-adsorbed PCL films were studied with respect to their hydrophobicity, the concentration and nature of functional groups on their surface, their surface roughness, and their cytotoxicity. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the films with the roughest surface were cast from 40:60 EtOH:THF and contained significantly larger amounts of adsorbed protein. Proteins preferentially adsorbed onto rough surfaces. The cell culture also indicated that mouse-calvaria-derived pre-osteoblastic cells proliferated best and exhibited the greatest amount of calcium deposition on the surface with the largest amount of adsorbed protein.