Cell adhesion to biomaterials. The role of several extracellular matrix components in the attachment of non-transformed fibroblasts and parenchymal cells.

This presentation has covered, in part, the subject of fibroblasts or parenchymal cell adhesion to biomaterials and the manipulation of biomaterial surfaces by appropriate biologic coatings from the viewpoint of the biologist. A tissue culture laboratory with good biochemical instrumentation can contribute greatly to the understanding of biomaterial-cell interactions. Such a laboratory cannot only test the toxicity of polymers, but can also proceed with systematic investigations of the role of synthetic and biologic substrates in favoring non-transformed cell attachment, improving cell spreading, and prolonging the life in vitro of normal cell constituents from a diversity of human tissues or organs. Yet, there are certain questions about the biomaterial-tissue interactions that will only be answered by in vivo experiments, since in vitro data may or may not predict the in vivo attachment of a particular cell in a highly protein-competitive environment. One important, albeit neglected, fact is that the early deposition of a protein/glycoprotein/lipid layer from serum, plasma, or peritoneal fluid will modify any synthetic surface introduced into the body. Baier called this early step "interface conversion," and it is quite clear that the shape, surface contamination, and physiochemical properties of the synthetic substratum triggers many events that take place during this "interface conversion." Many investigators have tried to explain cell behavior in vitro by manipulating polymer surface charges, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, physical and chemical anisotropy, and/or substrate contractility. We believe that new biomaterial surface coatings will be available as soon as new methods of extraction from biomatrices or extracellular matrices become more familiar. These new coatings will probably promote attachment in more specific terms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)