Porous poly( l-lactide) films obtained by immersion precipitation process: morphology, phase separation and culture of VERO cells

In this work, the immersion precipitation process was used to obtain porous poly( l-lactide) films which were tested as supports for culture of VERO cells. The mechanism of phase separation taking place during the film formation was investigated using light scattering measurements. A theoretical ternary phase diagram was proposed and correlated with the light scattering results. The film morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. For films with a more porous surface, VERO cells grew with a round shape. For films with a lower surface porosity, the growth of flatter cells was observed. These preliminary tests show that the film morphology can affect the growth of cells, or can further change the cells' functions.