Interaction of Stem Cells with Metal Oxide Thin Films*

Stem cells are extensively studied due to their unique properties and great potential in biomedical applications. Thanks to a variety of biological responses, metal-oxide coatings are widely used for interacting with stem cells. A very limited number of oxides have however been studied, and mechanism of the cell-material interaction is still not completely clear.
Here, oxides thin films, that are well-known for their electronic properties, are deposited on substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on the surfaces of thin films and their adhesion, proliferation and differentiation were evaluated as a function of the growth conditions, thickness of the films, surface roughness and morphology. These results will be of a great clinical significance, in particular, in the field of regenerative medicine.