The RF plasma polymer of lysine and the growth of human nerve cells on its surface

A polymer film of lysine was deposited on glass substrates and the ‘in vitro’ growth of human nerve cells on the film surface was examined. The experimental results indicated that both the nerve cell attachment and growth on the films were significant. The nerve cells started to attach to the film surfaces in 6–12 h. The attached cells assumed flat morphology, which indicated that the cells had well adhered on the surfaces. Then more cells spread-out over the surfaces in 8 days. Focal points of the nerve cells can be seen by micrography. The structure of plasma polymerized-lysine (PL) was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The carboxyl and amine group in the monomer were ‘remained’ in the PL as detected by FTIR. The coating was hydrophilic and water drops spread on the film surface immediately. This study indicated that the plasma PL was promising for nerve repairing coating materials or for surface modification of tissue-engineered materials.