Proliferation of Human Cervical Cancer Cells Responds to Surface Properties of Bicomponent Polymer Coatings

The proliferation of human cervical cancer (Hela) cells was investigated on a series of nanostructured polymer latex surfaces. The physico-chemical properties of the surfaces, composed of mixtures of polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene dispersions, were precisely controlled in the nanoscale range by adjusting the mixing ratio of the components and thermal treatment. In addition, the proliferation response of HeLa cells was compared to that of human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. A low dispersive surface energy and peak or valley dominance (S_pk/S_vk) were observed to increase the proliferation yield of the Hela cells. The HDF cells were less influenced by the surface chemistry and showed improved proliferation on surfaces without dominant peak or valley features (S_pk and S_vk). The observed changes in Hela cell behaviour underscored the critical role of material surface properties in influencing cellular responses, with more significant accumulation of nuclear patterning of filamentous actin (F-actin) on stiffer and smoother surfaces (e.g., borosilicate glass) due to higher mechanical stress. A more dynamic reorganisation of the cytoskeleton was observed for cells grown on polymer surfaces with moderate roughness and surface energy. These results emphasise the importance of characterising and tuning surface properties to accommodate the specific behaviours of different cell types.