Tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) supports good attachment of adherent cells whereas unmodified polystyrene (PS) does not, but the mechanism of this difference is not well characterized. We have compared TCPS and PS for the amounts of vitronectin (Vn) and fibronectin (Fn) which adsorb from the fetal bovine serum (FBS) component of the culture medium. The significance of the amounts of Vn and Fn which adsorbed onto TCPS and PS was determined by reference to the concentration dependence of the cell attachment activity of Vn and Fn when adsorbed onto TCPS and PS, assayed using human vein endothelial cells and BHK-21 fibroblasts. The amount of Vn which adsorbed onto TCPS from medium containing 3-30% (v/v) FBS was supraoptimal for the attachment of endothelial cells and fibroblasts. On PS, the amount of Vn which adsorbed from this medium was less than for TCPS and was suboptimal for cell attachment. Higher levels of Fn adsorbed onto TCPS than to PS, but even the amounts of Fn which adsorbed onto TCPS were suboptimal for cell attachment. We propose that the principal mechanistic difference between TCPS and PS for the initial attachment and spreading of cells is that more Vn adsorbs onto TCPS from the serum component of the culture medium.

We used a polystyrene substratum to study the response of migrating epithelium to 1- or 5-microm depth microgrooves with groove/ridge widths of 1, 2, 5, or 10 microm. The migration of a tissue sheet was enhanced along the microgrooves, while migration across the microgrooves was inhibited. Changing the depth of the microgrooves had a greater effect on migration than alteration of the groove/ridge width. The migration of epithelial cells from a confluent monolayer culture followed a similar pattern to that of intact epithelial tissue. Cellular extensions generally followed the microgroove direction by tracking along the top of the ridges or following the ridge walls, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Actin filaments within the basal cell layer of the tissue were aligned with the microgrooves, unlike filaments in the superficial layers that did not appear to be affected by the presence of underlying microgrooves. The basal cell layer of the tissue conformed to the contours of the microgroove following migration. However, the ultrastructure of the tissue above the ridges resembled that of tissue on a flat surface. We concluded that surface microgrooves have the potential to direct the migration of immediately adjacent epithelial tissue, the effect of which is to guide epithelial tissue on the surface of implanted biomaterials.

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Corneal epithelial tissue migration over the surface of a synthetic polymer can be inhibited by pores in the substrate. The effects of this substrate topography upon epithelial tissue migration were studied in vitro. Membranes of different porosities and structures were used to provide two series of surfaces having a graded increase in discontinuities: cellulose nitrate/acetate membranes with a tortuous network of pores, and track-etched polycarbonate membranes with columnar pores. Corneal epithelial tissue outgrowth was inhibited by increased pore size, and for both series of membranes, outgrowth was completely halted on membranes with mean diameter of the pores 0.9 microm at the pore densities measured. On the track-etched membranes with pores of <0.9 microm diameter, tissue outgrowth could be partially "rescued" by coating with fibronectin or collagen, but above this size, the inhibition predominated. The effect of porosity of the track-etched membranes upon the migration of dissociated epithelial cells was also examined. Although migration of these cells was reduced on membranes having pore sizes larger than 0.9 microm, it was not completely inhibited even on membranes of 2.3-microm pore diameter. Therefore, tissue movement of adult stratified epithelium may be inhibited by specific surface topographies, and in this assay system, epithelial tissue outgrowth was more affected than was the migration of dissociated epithelial cells.