ABSTRACT
A number of reviews have already looked at the use of plasma-derived surfaces for cell culture [1-12] and, more broadly, the use of plasma to enhance a material’s ‘biocompatibility’ — a widely used, but generally not well-defined term [13-15]. However, to the best of our knowledge only one review in 2006 has previously tackled the topic of cell delivery from a plasma-polymerized surface, with a particular focus on the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers [16]. This review concentrated on one particular application and on one particular plasma-polymerized surface: previous work in this general area and the wider range of potential applications for this plasma-polymerized technology were not described. Therefore, in this review we set the plasma-polymerized surface in context of other delivery surfaces (e.g., amniotic membrane and other allogous and xenobiotically-derived materials) with a broader examination of the literature, which was not previously covered. Whilst we are interested in describing the clinical outcomes, we introduce cell culture surfaces and delivery surfaces and plasma deposition. We then describe the range of applications in which plasma-polymerized surfaces have been used for cell delivery.
Whilst a number of good clinical outcomes have already been realized, the underlying technology of the combined culture and delivery surface has considerable scope for further optimisation.
