It is well known that surface features, such as topographical or chemical cues, can affect cell behavior from initial attachment and migration to differentiation and production of new tissues; this phenomenon is called contact guidance. A great improvement in studies concerning this phenomenon comes from progress in microfabrication techniques such as photolithography or soft lithography. Due to these techniques, a wide variety of micro-patterned surfaces can be realized to control cell size, shape, spatial organization and proliferation. These studies promoted the development of cellular bioassays that provide entirely new insights into the factors that control cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation onto material surfaces and molecular signaling pathways. The ability to control shape and spreading is also important to direct stem cells to different specific lineages, but it is also of great importance for the design of cell culture substrates for tissue engineering. In this work, the possibility of patterning surfaces is investigated, with particular focus on the micrometric scale. The response of different types of cells is also investigated.
FlemmingR.G., MurphyC.J., AbramsG.A., GoodmanS.L., NealeyP.F.Effects of synthetic micro- and nano-structured surfaces on cell behavior. Biomaterials1999; 20: 573–88.
4.
WilkinsonC.D., RiehleM., WoodM., GallagherJ., CurtisA.S.G.The use of materials patterned on a nano- and micro-metric scale in cellular engineering. Mat Sci Eng C-Bio S2002; 19: 263–9.
5.
XiaY.N., WhitesidesG.M.Soft lithography. Annu Rev Mater Sci1998; 28: 153–84.
6.
FalconnetD., CsucsG., GrandinH.M., TextorM.Surface engineering approaches to micropattern surfaces for cell-based assays. Biomaterials2006; 27: 3044–63.
JamesC.D., DavisR.C., KamL.. Patterned protein layers on solid substrates by thin stamp microcontact printing. Langmuir1998; 14: 741–4.
9.
CharestJ.L., EliasonM.T., GarciaA.J., KingW.P.Combined microscale mechanical topography and chemical patterns on polymer cell culture substrates. Biomaterials2006; 27: 2487–94.
10.
BarbucciR., PasquiD., WirsenA., AffrossmanS., CurtisA., TettaC.Micro and nano-structured surfaces. J Mater Sci Mater Med2003; 14: 721–5.
11.
ThakarR.G., HoF., HuangN.F., LiepmannD., LiS.Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells by micropatterning. Biochem Biophys Res Commun2003; 307: 883–90.
12.
AnderssonA.S., OlssonP., LidbergU., SutherlandD.The effects of continuous and discontinuous groove edges on cell shape and alignment. Exp Cell Res2003; 288: 177–88.
13.
VernonR.B., GoodenM.D., LaraS.L., WightT.N.Microgrooved fibrillar collagen membranes as scaffolds for cell support and alignment. Biomaterials2005; 26: 3131–40.
14.
MatsuzakaK., YoshinariM., ShimonoM., InoueT.Effects of multigrooved surfaces on osteoblast-like cells in vitro: scanning electron microscopic observation and mRNA expression of osteopontin and osteocalcin. J Biomed Mater Res A2004; 68: 227–34.
15.
NeumannT., HauschkaS.D., SandersJ.E.Tissue engineering of skeletal muscle using polymer fiber arrays. Tissue Eng2003; 9: 995–1003.
16.
LamM.T., SimS., ZhuX.Y., TakayamaS.The effect of continuous wavy micropatterns on silicone substrates on the alignment of skeletal muscle myoblasts and myotubes. Biomaterials2006; 27: 4340–7.
17.
PatzT.M., DoraiswamyA., NarayanR.J., ModiR., ChriseyD.B.Two-dimensional differential adherence and alignment of C2C12 myoblasts. Mat Sci Eng B Solid2005; 123: 242–7.
18.
CurtisA., WilkinsonC.Topographical control of cells. Biomaterials1997; 18: 1573–83.
19.
WalboomersX.F., MonaghanW., CurtisA.S.G., JansenJ.A.Attachment of fibroblasts on smooth and microgrooved polystyrene. J Biomed Mat Res1999; 46: 212–20.
20.
WalboomersX.F., GinselL.A., JansenJ.A.Early spreading events of fibroblasts on microgrooved substrates. J Biomed Mat Res2000; 51: 529–34.
21.
DalbyM.J., RiehleM.O., YarwoodS.J., WilkinsonC.D.W., CurtisA.S.G.Nucleus alignment and cell signaling in fibroblasts: Response to a micro-grooved topography. Exp Cell Res2003; 284: 274–82.
22.
DalbyM.J., McCloyD., RobertsonM., WilkinsonC.D.W., OreffoR.O.C.Osteoprogenitor response to defined topographies with nanoscale depths. Biomaterials2006; 27: 1306–15.
23.
AnderssonA.S., BackhedF., von EulerA., Richter DahlforsA., SutherlandD., KasemoB.Nanoscale features influence epithelial cell morphology and cytokine production. Biomaterials2003; 24: 3427–36.
BerryC.C., CampbellG., SpadiccinoA., RobertsonM., CurtisA.S.G.The influence of microscale topography on fibroblast attachment and motility. Biomaterials2004; 25: 5781–8.
29.
DeutschJ., MotiaghD., RussellB., DesaiT.A.Fabrication of microtextured membranes for cardiac myocyte attachment and orientation. J Biomed Mater Res2000; 53: 267–75.
30.
AcarturkT.O., PeelM.M., PetroskoP., LaFramboiseW., JohnsonP.C., DiMillaP.A.Control of attachment, morphology, and proliferation of skeletal myoblasts on silanized glass. J Biomed Mater Res1999; 44: 355–70.
31.
PopescuD.C., LemsR., RossiN.A.A.. The patterning and alignment of muscle cells using the selective adhesion of poly(oligoethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate)-based ABA block copolymers. Adv Mater2005; 17: 2324–31.
32.
BrockA., ChangE., HoC.C.. Geometric determinants of directional cell motility revealed using microcontact printing. Langmuir2003; 19: 1611–7.
KamL., BoxerS.G.Cell adhesion to protein-micropatterned supported lipid bilayer membranes. J Biomed Mater Res2001; 55: 487–95.
35.
BerryC.C., CurtisA.S.G., OreffoR.O.C., AgheliH., SutherlandD.S.Human fibroblast and human bone marrow cell response to lithographically nanopatterned adhesive domains on protein rejecting substrates. IEEE Trans Nanobiosci2007; 6: 201–9.
MolnarP., WangW.S., NatarajanA., RumseyJ.W., HickmanJ.J.Photolithographic patterning of C2C12 myotubes using vitronectin as growth substrate in serum-free medium. Biotechnol Prog2007; 23: 265–8.
38.
den BraberE.T., de RuijterJ.E., GinselL.A., von RecumA.F., JansenJ.A.Orientation of ECM protein deposition, fibroblast cytoskeleton, and attachment complex components on silicone microgrooved surfaces. J Biomed Mater Res1998; 40: 291–300.
39.
ShenJ.Y., Chan ParkM.B.E., FengZ.O., ChanV., FengZ.W.UV-embossed microchannel in biocompatible polymeric film: Application to control of cell shape and orientation of muscle cells. J Biomed Mater Res B2006; 77: 423–30.
40.
HuangN.F., PatelS., ThakarR.G.. Myotube assembly on nanofibrous and micropatterned polymers. Nano Letters2006; 6: 537–42.
41.
MotlaghD., HartmanT.J., DesaiT.A., RussellB.Microfabricated grooves recapitulate neonatal myocyte connexin43 and N-cadherin expression and localization. J Biomed Mater Res A2003; 67: 148–57.
42.
EvansD.J.R., BritlandS., WigmoreP.M.Differential response of fetal and neonatal myoblasts to topographical guidance cues in vitro. Dev Genes Ev1999; 209: 438–42.
43.
DiehlK.A., FoleyJ.D., NealeyP.F., MurphyC.J.Nanoscale topography modulates corneal epithelial cell migration. J Biomed Mater Res A2005; 75: 603–11.
44.
HyunJ., ZhuY.J., Liebmann-VinsonA., BeebeT.P., ChilkotiA.Microstamping on an activated polymer surface: Patterning biotin and streptavidin onto common polymeric biomaterials. Langmuir2001; 17: 6358–67.
