Characterization of sucrose thin films for biomedical applications

Abstract

Sucrose is a natural osmolyte accumulated in the cells of organisms as they adapt to environmental stress. In vitro sucrose increases protein stability and forces partially unfolded structures to refold. Thin films of sucrose (C 12H22O11) were deposited on thin cut glass substrates by the thermal evaporation technique (P ∼ 10- 5 torr). Characteristics of thin films were put into evidence by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and differential thermal analysis and thermal gravimetric analysis (TG/DTA). The experimental results confirm a uniform deposition of an adherent layer. In this paper we present a part of the characteristics of sucrose thin films deposited on glass in medium vacuum conditions, as a part of a culture medium for osteoblast cells. Osteoblast cells were used to determine proliferation, viability, and cytotoxicity interactions with sucrose powder and sucrose thin films. The osteoblast cells have been provided from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Centre. The outcome of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of sucrose thin films as a possible nontoxic agent for biomedical applications. Copyright 2011 S. L. Iconaru et al.