Cytocompatibility of novel tin oxide thin films.

The capacity of tin oxide films to support cell growth was investigated. Three substrates were used for the test: glass coverslips, glass coverslips spin coated with tin oxide and commercially available 316 stainless steel. The wettabilities and surface roughness of the three surfaces were measured before seeding 3T3 fibroblasts onto the samples. The behaviour of the cells grown on the tin oxide was compared to the uncoated glass and the steel and results showed that the cell growth on tin oxide compared favourably with the other substrates. The surface wettability appeared to have the strongest effect on cell adhesion to tin oxide.