Alexei Volkov
Tissue culture plastic, also known as polystyrene (PS), is a commonly used polymer in laboratories for cell culture. It is inexpensive, disposable, and transparent, making it a popular choice for researchers. PS has served as the fundamental substrate for adherent animal and human cell culture for over 50 years. Its optical clarity, ease of manufacture, and low production cost have made it a preferred alternative to glass for cell-based work. PS can be treated with plasma to increase its wettability and adhesiveness for cells, making it suitable for tissue culture applications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Polymer | Polystyrene (PS) |
| Other Polymers Used | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP) |
| Treatment | Plasma treatment, oxidation, energetic plasma activation, liquid surface deposition, functionalization methods, casting, electrospinning, 3D printing, microcarrier approaches |
| Properties | Hydrophobic, optical clarity, ease of manufacture, low production cost, recyclable, injection molded, thermoformed, high culture volume, wettable |
| Use Cases | Adherent animal and human cell culture, cell adhesion, cell growth, cell culture studies, cell-based research, biomanufacturing |
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What You'll Learn
- Polystyrene PS is the most commonly used polymer for tissue culture plastic
- PS is hydrophobic in its pure form, making it ideal for suspension cell culture
- PS can be treated with plasma gas to allow cell adhesion and spreading
- PS is inexpensive, disposable, and has biological affinity
- PLA is a newer polymer used for tissue culture plates and Petri dishes
Polystyrene PS is the most commonly used polymer for tissue culture plastic
Polystyrene (PS) is the most commonly used polymer for tissue culture plastic. It has served as the fundamental substrate for adherent animal and human cell culture for over 50 years. Its optical clarity, ease of manufacture, and low production cost have made it a popular alternative to glass for cell-based work. PS is mass-produced through injection moulding, resulting in a low-cost, high-culture volume material that is compatible with various cell strains and contrast agents.
PS tissue culture plastic is often treated with plasma, which improves its wettability by oxidation and increases its adhesiveness for cells from animal tissues. This treatment is essential for anchorage-dependent cells, as it allows them to grow and adhere to the surface. The plasma treatment also enhances surface wetting, improving the quality of biomimetic coatings.
The properties of PS surfaces can be further optimised through various treatments and coatings. For example, using peptides (e.g. poly-D-lysine), proteins (e.g. collagen), or polysaccharides can improve cell adhesion and growth. Additionally, functional moieties on PS surfaces can be used for advanced grafting techniques, such as self-assembled monolayers or polymer brushes.
PS tissue culture plastic is widely used in laboratories due to its low cost and inert chemistry. In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, making it ideal for suspension cell culture. However, most cells derived from vertebrates are anchorage-dependent and require a treated surface to allow cell adhesion and spreading. This treatment process involves exposing the PS surface to a plasma gas, modifying the polymer chain and leaving oxygen-containing functional groups.
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PS is hydrophobic in its pure form, making it ideal for suspension cell culture
Polystyrene (PS) is the most frequently used plastic in labs for cell culture. This is due to its low cost, inert chemistry, and biological affinity. In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, which is ideal for suspension cell culture.
Suspension cell culture is an alternative to traditional adherent monolayer cultures. In suspension cultures, cells are grown in the form of clusters or aggregates, and they show similar levels of viability, proliferation, and differentiation compared to standard feeder-dependent cultures. This method better recapitulates the native multicellular microenvironment, potentially enhancing the innate self-renewing and pluripotent capacity of the cells.
PS is a hydrophobic polymer, meaning that cells have difficulty attaching to it. However, this property is desirable for suspension cell cultures, where cells are grown in clusters rather than as a monolayer. To create a surface that cells can adhere to, the hydrophobic PS surface must be modified to become more hydrophilic. This can be achieved by exposing the PS surface to a plasma gas, which modifies the polymer chain and leaves behind oxygen-containing functional groups. This treatment process increases the availability of hydrophilic functional groups, allowing cell attachment proteins (such as vitronectin and fibronectin) to adhere and spread, providing a better surface for cell attachment.
The properties of PS surfaces can be further optimized by coating the surface with peptides, proteins, or polysaccharides. For example, poly-D-lysine (PDL) is a chemically synthesized extracellular matrix (ECM) that mediates the negative charges of both the cell membrane and surface, facilitating cell adhesion. Similarly, ECM proteins such as collagen provide an attachment framework for the adhesion and growth of certain cell types that have difficulties growing on regular TC-treated surfaces.
In summary, PS is hydrophobic in its pure form, making it ideal for suspension cell cultures as it prevents cell attachment. However, when cell attachment is desired, the PS surface can be treated to become more hydrophilic, and coatings can be applied to enhance cell adhesion and growth.
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PS can be treated with plasma gas to allow cell adhesion and spreading
Polystyrene (PS) is the most frequently used plastic in labs today for cell culture. This is due to its low cost and inert chemistry, making it an optimal choice for a disposable culture surface. In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, which is ideal for suspension cell culture. However, most cells derived from vertebrates are anchorage-dependent and must be cultured on a surface treated to allow cell adhesion and spreading, known as a tissue culture (TC) or cell culture-treated surface.
Plasma treatment is also used to enhance cell seeding on tissue engineering scaffolds. For example, polymers like poly(lactic acid) or poly(caprolactone) are frequently plasma-treated with O_2 or N_2 plasma to improve their wettability and introduce functional groups that can immobilize cell-adhesive molecules. This results in better cell infiltration and proliferation in the scaffold. Plasma treatment can also be used to improve the adhesion of paints, glues, and sealants to various surfaces, including polymers.
The properties of PS surfaces can be further optimized by coating the surface with peptides (e.g., poly-D-lysine or PDL), proteins (e.g., collagen), or polysaccharides. PDL can help mediate the negative charges of both the cell membrane and surface, facilitating cell adhesion to TC-treated plastic. ECM proteins such as collagen provide an attachment framework for the adhesion and growth of certain cell types that have difficulties growing on regular TC-treated surfaces.
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PS is inexpensive, disposable, and has biological affinity
Polystyrene (PS) is a polymer commonly used in labs for tissue culture plastic. It is inexpensive, disposable, and has biological affinity.
PS is inexpensive due to its low cost, making it an optimal choice for disposable culture surfaces. Its inert chemistry and hydrophobic nature in its pure form also make it suitable for suspension cell culture. PS can be modified through plasma treatment, which improves the quality of biomimetic coatings and enhances surface wetting.
Being disposable, PS is convenient for single-use applications and helps maintain sterility in laboratories. Its disposability also reduces the risk of cross-contamination and simplifies waste management. The hydrophobic nature of untreated PS surfaces prevents cell adhesion, making it useful for non-adherent cell culture and disposable filtration units.
PS has biological affinity, making it compatible with mammalian cells, which are anchorage-dependent. This means they rely on connections with other cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM), and material substrates to regulate vital functions. PS can be further optimized by coating the surface with peptides, proteins, or polysaccharides to enhance cell adhesion and growth.
PS is also recyclable, although it requires careful handling to prevent damage due to its brittle nature at room temperature. PS labware must be handled with care to avoid impact, which can cause cracking or breaking. Additionally, PS is not autoclavable and will melt under autoclave conditions.
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PLA is a newer polymer used for tissue culture plates and Petri dishes
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a newer polymer used for tissue culture plates and Petri dishes. It is a one-to-one replacement for labs using fossil fuel-based plastics for tissue culture. The first PLA Petri dish product was developed by Diversified Biotech, Inc., in collaboration with researchers from Brandeis University.
PLA is a performance bioresin that is more hydrophilic than petrochemical resins like polystyrene. This property allows a variety of anchorage-dependent eukaryotic cell species to grow in liquid culture on the surface without added coatings. For example, Petri dishes and microplates may be filled with gelled culture media for growing bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
PLA also offers environmental benefits. All PLA labware is commercially compostable where available. When required, biohazardous PLA Petri dishes can be incinerated, releasing a neutral amount of carbon dioxide and water. Additionally, PLA has a lower softening temperature than polystyrene, which is advantageous for autoclave-sterilized agar-containing culture media.
However, there are some challenges to using PLA for labware. One of the main challenges is temperature resistance, as PLA has a lower softening temperature than polystyrene. Another challenge is achieving optical clarity, especially when creating thin-walled parts. Despite these challenges, PLA has the potential to improve cell culture while also being a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel-based plastics.
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Frequently asked questions
Tissue culture plastic, also known as polystyrene (PS), is the most commonly used material for cell culture.
Polystyrene is inexpensive, disposable, and transparent. It also has biological affinity, making it suitable for the growth of mammalian cells. In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, which is ideal for suspension cell cultures.
Yes, an alternative to polystyrene is polylactic acid (PLA), which is a fossil fuel-based plastic. PLA is a newer material that has been used to create Petri dishes and microplates, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastics.
