Quantification of fibroblast adhesion to biomaterials using a fluid mechanics approach

Adhesion of cells to the surface of a biomaterial is one of the major factors mediating its biocompatibility. Despite the importance of this parameter, reliable means for its quantification still need to be developed. In the research described here, the jet impingement method has been investigated as to its ability to resolve differences in fibroblast adhesion. A wide spectrum of materials has been studied. To visualize the cell layer on opaque surfaces, a fluorescent staining method has been developed. The measurements show statistically significant differences between material classes, with the highest degree of adhesion about twice that of the lowest degree of adhesion. The greatest adhesion was observed with metallic materials which exhibit a shear stress to erode cells from the material surface of about 5.65×10^-3 N cm^-2. The tensile stress of adhesion (about 2.15×10^-2 N cm^-2) was similar for most materials. The interpretation of the results of jet impingement testing and their relation to in vivo cell and soft tissue adherence to biomaterials merits further investigation.