PCL films of varying porosity influence ICAM-1 expression of HUVECs

Here, we investigate the relationship between the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and the adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on a poly‐ε‐caprolactone (PCL) film with micropores of different pore sizes. The results showed that surface hydrophilicity increased with larger pore sizes, while surfaces became less hydrophilic as the pore size decreased. The ability for adhesion and proliferation of HUVECs on surfaces with larger pore sizes was enhanced as compared with that of surfaces with smaller pore sizes or a flat film. Furthermore, levels of mICAM‐1 were increased and sICAM‐1 decreased as a function of increasing pore size. These findings demonstrate that film surfaces with larger pore sizes may promote cell adhesion and proliferation and lead to increases in expression of mICAM‐1. Thus, we conclude that the pore size of the material's surface exerts a significant impact on the expression of adhesion molecules, the expression of which can represent an important new marker for investigating cell‐surface adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, as elevated levels of sICAM‐1 are associated with conditions such as inflammation, thrombosis, cerebral infarct and other diseases in vivo, it may serve as an early‐warning risk marker when using medical biomaterials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2775–2784, 2016.