Substrate surface morphology in scaffold design for bone and cartilage tissue engineering

The influence of substrate surface morphology in scaffold design for bone and cartilage tissue engineering was investigated. Cells were cultured on Ti disks that were modified to have smooth and rough surface morphologies with specific characteristics. Cell attachment, proliferation, matrix production, differentiation, production of local regulatory factors were assessed. It was observed that the shape of the cell was affected by the topography of the substrate. The cell number was also found to be reduced on rougher surfaces, reflecting not only that there were fewer attached cells initially but also a decrease in the proliferation rate.