Plasma-Activated Coated Glass: A Novel Platform for Optimal Optical Performance and Cell Culture Substrate Customization.

Borosilicate glass surpasses polystyrene in optical quality; however, it is less frequently used for cell culture due to poor protein and cell adhesion. To overcome this impasse, the surface of glass coverslips requires functionalization to enable facile covalent attachment of proteins to promote cell attachment and differentiation. Herein, a novel approach is presented to covalently attach proteins to glass by depositing a thin layer of radical-rich carbon film using a plasma polymerization process. The surface chemistry of these plasma-activated coatings can be controlled by varying the gas composition used during the deposition. Mass spectrometry reveals different protein profiles attached to functionalized glass coverslips when they are exposed to cell culture media. Mouse embryonic stem cell adhesion and subsequent differentiation into neural lineage on plasma-treated coverslips are significantly enhanced compared to bare coverslips. Importantly, the coatings are in the nanometer range, preserve the optical properties of the glass coverslips for imaging, and remain stable for at least 4 weeks in simulated body fluid. These results demonstrate the utility of covalently attaching proteins to glass for enhanced cell attachment and stem cell differentiation and provide a promising technique to achieve better outcomes in cell culture in a range of biomedical applications.