= Cell seeding density
<Cell seeding density> specifies the number of <biological cells> introduced to, or initially retained on, a culture support relative to a stated area or volume. The denominator and observation time are part of the definition. A suspension concentration in <cells> per millilitre, a loading per projected scaffold area and a retained count per scaffold volume are different quantities.
For example, applying $V=0.20\,\mathrm{mL}$ of a suspension containing $C=5\times10^5$ <cells> per millilitre supplies
$$
N_{\mathrm{offered}}=CV=10^5\ \text{cells}.
$$
Over a projected area $A=2\,\mathrm{cm^2}$, the offered <cell seeding density> is $5\times10^4\,\mathrm{cells\,cm^{-2}}$. If a standardized wash and count finds $6\times10^4$ attached <cells>, the attachment fraction is $0.60$ and the retained density is $3\times10^4\,\mathrm{cells\,cm^{-2}}$. These chosen values illustrate accounting, not a recommended culture condition. An internal porous area can be much larger than $A$, so changing the area convention changes the reported density.
The distinction matters experimentally. <Jinming Gao>, <Laura E. Niklason> and <Robert S. Langer> studied surface hydrolysis of <polyglycolic acid> meshes and reported increased initial vascular <smooth muscle cell> seeding on the modified material. Their control experiments related protein adsorption to the increase.<Surface hydrolysis of poly(glycolic acid) meshes increases the seeding density of vascular smooth muscle cells by Jinming Gao and others>[Printed p. 417, abstract]{ref} The experiment concerns an early cell–material interaction, not merely the nominal suspension concentration.
A reproducible comparison states how many <cells> were offered, how unattached <cells> were removed, what was counted and when. <Cell viability> is another measurement: a retained cell count does not automatically specify the number of living <cells>. Later proliferation or cell loss can also change the density. Measuring both specimens at the same interval helps separate initial attachment from subsequent population change.
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