Synthetic hydrogel microspheres as substrata for cell adhesion and growth.

Cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis to obtain hydrophilic microspheres having carboxyl residues distributed throughout the matrix. These microspheres were found to support the growth of human skin fibroblasts and human heart and lung cells. Further, fibroblasts grown on them were found to be comparable with those grown on the commercial tissue culture plate with respect to [14C]amino acid uptake and incorporation into proteins. The hydrolyzed PMMA microspheres may find application as a microcarrier for cell culture.