Control of cultured human cells with femtosecond laser ablated patterns on steel and plastic surfaces

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to explore topographical patterns produced with femtosecond laser pulses as a means of controlling the behaviour of living human cells (U2OS) on stainless steel surfaces and on negative plastic imprints (polycarbonate). The results show that the patterns on both types of material strongly affect cell behaviour and are particularly powerful in controlling cell spreading/elongation, localization and orientation. Analysis by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy shows that on periodic 1D grating structures, cells and cell nuclei are highly elongated and aligned, whereas on periodic 2D grid structures, cell spreading and shape is affected. The results also show that the density and morphology of the cells can be affected. This was observed particularly on pseudo-periodic, coral-like structures which clearly inhibited cell growth. The results suggest that these patterns could be used in a variety of applications among the fields of clinical research and implant design, as well as in diagnosis and in cell and drug research. Furthermore, this article highlights the noteworthy aspects and the unique strengths of the technique and proposes directions for further research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10544-012-9726-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bio-Interfaces Engineering Using Laser-Based Methods for Controlled Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Response In Vitro

“…LIFT is a laser-assisted direct-write process in which the materials to be transferred are in the form of a rheological fluid, polymer-based composite or fine powder, placed on a transparent support and transferred by a single pulse onto a receiver. The main key feature that separates LIFT from other direct-write techniques is that it offers the advantages of controlled and localized micrometre-size pixels/clusters, similar to inkjet printing, but faster (up to 200.000 pixels/sec) and without the limitation in the nature of the material to be transferred [73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81]. The technique does not depend on the donor material properties, which therefore allows the use of non-soluble organic compounds, and the realization of complex 2D and 3D structures onto any type of surface via a single laser shot.…”

Effects of Micro-Textured Polystyrene Substrates by Compression Molding on Cell Adhesion and Proliferation

“…Related effects can be inferred by extracting genes, and large differences in expression levels have been found [12]. Polymeric substrates can influence cultured human cells as well [13] but hierarchy has not been considered yet. At present, cell growth on hierarchical surfaces has been considered only for ceramic [14] and hybrid [15] substrates, mainly in bone tissue engineering [16].…”

Laser Patterning of Self‐Assembled Monolayers on PEDOT:PSS Films for Controlled Cell Adhesion

“…Laser techniques have been widely used for the modification and the micro/nanostructuring of materials or surfaces for biomedical applications . Among a wide variety of laser‐processing methods, laser ablation is a very efficient approach for material structuration due to the inherent noncontact capabilities and the high spatial resolution it offers.…”