Basically there are three methods for culture ware surface treatment
btw, the majority of culture ware are polystyrene.
Tissue-culture treated plates
Polystyrene plastic must be subjected to a surface treatment to render the plastic suitable for cell attachment. Untreated polystyrene surfaces are not suitable for cell attachment due to the surface chemistry of the polystyrene. The tissue culture treatment process involves exposing a polystyrene microplate to a plasma gas in order to modify the hydrophobic plastic surface to make it more hydrophilic. The resulting surface carries a net negative charge due to the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl. In general, this will lead to increased cell attachment.
Poly-lysine-coated plates
Poly-lysine is a synthetic positively-charged polymer, existing as two enantiomers: Poly-D-lysine (PDL) and Poly-L-lysine (PLL). Adherence of certain cell types to poly-lysine-coated surfaces is based on the electrostatic interaction of the poly-D-lysine polycation with the negative charges of the cell membrane. Use of poly-lysine coatings on plate surfaces can help mediate the negative charges of the cell membrane and the negative charge of the surface. Both PDL and PLL are commonly used however PDL is not degraded by cellular proteases and is therefore often the preferred choice. As Poly-lysine is a synthetic protein, it does not influence the signaling pathways of the cells and is completely free of any animal contaminants. Almost all cell types will adhere to Poly-lysine coated plate bottoms.
Collagen-coated plates
Extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen provide an attachment framework for the adhesion and growth of certain cell types in vivo, and can also be used for cell attachment to plate surfaces in vitro. Cellular fibronectin membrane proteins mediate the attachment of cells to collagen substrates. Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals that is found throughout the body and is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The most frequently used types of collagen for coating are collagen I and IV. Collagen type I is suitable for endothelial and epithelial cells, muscle cells and hepatocytes. Collagen type IV is the major constituent of basement membranes and offers more physiologically relevant conditions to cells as well as improving the adherence of specific cell types i.e. PC-12 (rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cell line). Our catalog plates are coated with rat tail collagen Type I.
Sterility
All tissue-culture treated plates are sterilized using gamma irradiation to prevent contamination.
