Osteoblasts attachment and adhesion: how bone cells fit fibronectin-coated surfaces

Biocompatibility of a material relates, among other factors, to the absence of adverse cellular reactions and modulation of cell interaction and subsequent responses. The assessment of biomaterial compatibility relies on the macroscopic and physiologic cellular responses to material interaction which basically includes two phenomena: (a) cell attachment, which is mainly governed by physico-chemical properties of the interacting surfaces, and (b) cell adhesion, which is, in turn, dictated by molecular properties of both surfaces and also the interaction medium. The aim of this study is to present evidences that attachment and adhesion represent two different types of osteoblast cell responses to fibronectin-coated or uncoated glass surfaces.