Polymer Surface Modification Causes Change in Phenotypic Expression of Primary Bone Cells

Primary rat bone marrow cells were cultured on bacteriological grade polystyrene dishes which had been treated in selected areas with concentrated sulphuric acid. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, angle-resolved and imaging modes, and atomic force microscopy showed that the acid treatment brought about both chemical and topographical changes in the substratum surface. While the bone marrow cells attached to both treated and untreated areas of the surfaces of the dishes, the distribution of early mineralized extracellular matrix in these areas was reproducibily different. Thus, using extracellular matrix deposition as a marker, modification of the polymer surface resulted in the cells adhering to treated and untreated areas exhibiting different phenotypes.