Effect of polyvinyl chloride plastic on the growth and physiology of human umbilical vein endothelial cells

In this work, human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured on common polystyrene cell culture plates, referred to as control plates, as well as on soft polyvinyl chloride plastics (PVC). Growth of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC) on PVC coated with gelatin, collagen A and heparin plasma was significantly less than that on the control plates coated with the same substance or fibronectin. Cells cultured on PVC produced up to four times as much tissue plasminogen activator than control cells. With reference to plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), more PAI-1 was released from cells grown on PVC than from those on the control plates coated with gelatin and collagen A. After endotoxin stimulation, the PAI-1 release of HUVEC cultured on PVC was significantly higher than that of control cells with the exception of cells grown on the fibronectin-coated PVC that showed no difference. It is concluded that the type of plastic and coat used to culture HUVEC play a definite role in their growth and function.