Imparting cell adhesion to poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel by coating with hydroxyapatite thin film

To impart good cell adhesion to poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA-H) as an artificial articular cartilage, hydroxyapatite thin film 300 nm thick was deposited by a pulsed laser deposition technique on PVA-H, which has virtually no cell adhesion. A cell culture method was used to study the effect of hydroxyapatite deposition on PVA-H upon cell adhesion among mouse fibroblasts. The cell adhesion of water content 33% PVA-H coated with the amorphous hydroxyapatite film showed a maximum as high as that of commonly used tissue culture dishes. This technique was also effective for improving cell adhesion, even on a higher water content (53%) PVA-H. This is a novel technique to improve the biocompatibility and attachment of PVA-H and with the underlying bone and natural cartilage.