Factors effecting cell attachment, spreading, and growth on derivatized microcarriers: II introduction of hydrophobic elements.

In a previous publication, the authors described the establishment of a working system for studing effects of factors involved in the chemical nature of a microcarrier on cell attachment, spreading, and growth. The first part of the rsearch dealt with the influence of the type and amount of the positively charged groups. In the present article, the authors will describe the effect of the introduction of hydrophobic elements onto primary amino derivatized polyacrylamide microcariers. It was found that cell attachement kinetics were gradually enhanced in parallel to a gradual increase in hydrophobicity via elongation of the hydrocarbon side-chain carrying the primary amino charged group. A threshold effect of the amount of charge required for cell attachment spreading and growth was exhibited on all the tested primary amino derivatized microcarriers. Optimum cell growth was recorded for the butylamine and hexylamine polyacrylamide microcarris. Lowre cell yields were recorded for ethylamine and octylamine derivatives. The location of the introduced hydrophobic element has a profound effect on cell propagation. Introduction of hydrophobicity onto the polymeric backbone of the microcarrier (via copolymerization of hydrophobic comonomer) lead to negative influence on cell attachement and growth yields. Out of the series of derivatized polyacrylamide microcarriers tested, it seems that the hexylamine derivative may be a potential alternative for the commonly used tertiary amine microcariers.