Tissue-derived cell growth on hybrid sol-gel films

Hybrid sol-gel films were developed for tissue-derived cell growth. Specifically, Buffalo green monkey kidney cells were grown on hydrophobically modified silica sol-gel thin films and on such films in which poly-L-lysine (PLL) was entrapped in order to affect surface positive charge density. Intermediate hydrophobicity was found optimal for the cell growth. The PLL-modified films enabled drastic reduction of the needed amount of serum. The developed films function better than the commonly used cell-culture polystyrene dishes.