Cell adhesion on materials surface is critical because this phenomenon occurs before other events, as cell spreading, cell migration and cell differentiation. it is commonly accepted that the adhesion of cells on solid substrate is influenced by several substratum surface properties, such as wettability, surface charge, roughness and topography. plasma technique is a convenient method for modifying surface properties of materials without affecting physical properties. in this study, poly(lactide-co-glycolide), plga, membranes were modified by oxygen and nitrogen plasma to improve polymer hydrophilicity and verify their effect on vero cells culture. the plga membranes, which were characterized by sem and contact angle, showed increased surface rugosity and narrower contact angles. cell adhesion, cytotoxicity assay, sem and cytochemistry analysis showed that plasma treatment was beneficial to cell growth by improving cell-polymer interaction. Cell adhesion on materials surface is critical because this phenomenon occurs before other events, as cell spreading, cell migration and cell differentiation. It is commonly accepted that the adhesion of cells on solid substrate is influenced by several substratum surface properties, such as wettability, surface charge, roughness and topography. Plasma technique is a convenient method for modifying surface properties of materials without affecting physical properties. In this study, poly(lactide-co-glycolide), PLGA, membranes were modified by oxygen and nitrogen plasma to improve polymer hydrophilicity and verify their effect on Vero cells culture. The PLGA membranes, which were characterized by SEM and contact angle, showed increased surface rugosity and narrower contact angles. Cell adhesion, cytotoxicity assay, SEM and cytochemistry analysis showed that plasma treatment was beneficial to cell growth by improving cell-polymer interaction.

The physiological repair of osteochondral lesions requires the development of a scaffold that is compatible with the structure of the damaged tissue, cartilage and bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological performance of a PLDLA/PCL-T (90/10) scaffold for repairing osteochondral defects in rabbits. Polymeric scaffolds containing saccharose (75% w/v) were obtained by solvent casting and then implanted in the medial knee condyles of 12 New Zealand rabbits after osteochondral damage with a trephine metallic drill (diameter: 3.3 mm) in both medial femoral condyles. Each rabbit received the same treatment, i.e., the polymeric scaffold was implanted on the right side while no material was implanted on the left side (control). Four and 12 weeks later histological examination revealed bone neoformation in the implant group, with the presence of hyaline cartilage and mesenchymal tissue. In contrast, the control group showed bone neoformation with necrosis, exacerbated superficial fibrosis, inflammation and cracks in the neoformed tissue. These findings indicate that the PLDLA/PCL-T scaffold was biocompatible and protected the condyles by stabilizing the lesion and allowing subchondral bone tissue and hyaline cartilage formation.