The effect of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) modification by poly(ethylene glycol) on the viability of cells grown on the polymer films

Abstract

A biodegradable polymer of bacterial origin, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), is intensively studied as biomaterial for tissue engineering. However, factors determining its biocompatibility still require better understanding. To analyze the PHB films biocompatibility, the polymer material was modified by hydrophilic polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) 300 (PEG). The blends PHB/PEG with different PEG content (10, 20, 30 and 50%) were produced by subsequent incubation in water resulted in removal of 95% PEG. The surface roughness and hydrophilicity were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle "water-polymer" measurement, respectively. The film biocompatibility on cell culture of COS-1 fibroblasts was studied in vitro. It was shown that both roughness and hydrophobicity are directly proportional to initial PEG content in the PHB/PEG blends. The growth rate of COS-1 fibroblasts on polymer films is determined by combination of two basic physicochemical properties of the polymer surface: the roughness and hydrophilicity. The optimal roughness requred for COS-1 cells growth is the average roughness more than 25 nm, whereas the limit values of the contact angle "water-polymer" that was responsible for relatively high cell viability were not found. These data indicate that the film surface roughness had the greatest effect on the cell growth, whereas the increase in the polymer surface hydrophilicity caused the additional positive effect on viability of attached cells. Thus, the modification of PHB polymer material by PEG resulted in the improved viability of cells cultivated on the polymer films in vitro. The obtained data can be used for development of such medical devices as surgeon patches and periodontal membranes.