ABSTRACT
It is common knowledge that most, if not all, anchorage-dependent mammalian cells attach and adhere to, and subsequently proliferate on, hydrophilic (waterwettable surfaces) much more efficiently than on hydrophobic (less water wettable)
counterparts [1, 2]. Indeed, commercial production of sterile disposable tissue cultureware is largely based on use of surface treatments of plastics used in this industry (typically polystyrene) [3] to render inherently hydrophobic surfaces more hydrophilic and thus useful as substrata for the culture of mammalian cells in vitro. Surface treatment technology arose from research of the early 1970’s, stimulated by Rappaport’s pioneering studies [4], among others. Soon after, a variety of surface synthesis strategies were explored, ranging from use of liquid-phase chemical oxidants [5, 6] to the application of gas-discharge treatments [7] that set the precedence for widespread application of modern gas discharge (plasma) technology in biomedicine [8] and biotechnology [9-11].
