Micropatterning of polymer substrates for cell culture

Abstract

The cell microenvironment such as substrate topology plays an important role in biological processes. In this study, microgrooves were successfully produced on surfaces of both thermoplastic and thermoset polymers using cost‐effective techniques for mass production. The micropatterning of thermoplastic polystyrene (PS) petri dish was accomplished efficiently using an in‐house developed low‐cost hot embossing system. The high replication fidelity of the microgroove with depth and width of 2 μm and spacing of 2 μm was achieved by using silicone rubber as a soft counter mold. This patterned petri dish subsequently served as the cast to replicate the micropattern onto thermoset polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). It was found that the micropattern increased the hydrophobicity of both PS and PDMS surfaces. The effect of the substrate micropattern on cellular behaviors was preliminarily investigated with untreated and treated PS petri dish as well as PDMS. The results show that the micropattern significantly improved cell adhesion and proliferation for cells cultured on untreated PS petri dish and PDMS substrates. Moreover, the micropattern induced obvious cell alignment along the microgrooves for culturing on all substrates which were studied.

Engineering Multi‐Scale Organization for Biotic and Organic Abiotic Electroactive Systems

“…[123] Yu et al utilized microgrooves to increase substrate hydrophobicity, and greatly improved adipose derived stem cell adhesion and proliferation, introducing and aligning directional growth of the cells along the groove. [124] In microcontact printing, a silicon wafer with the master pattern is developed using photolithography; and PDMS is used to create a replica mold "stamp" that can be coated in a polar ink. [125] After allowing the ink to incubate and coat the surface of the patterned PDMS, the coated stamp can then be used to transfer the pattern onto a desired surface.…”

“…utilized microgrooves to increase substrate hydrophobicity, and greatly improved adipose derived stem cell adhesion and proliferation, introducing and aligning directional growth of the cells along the groove. [ 124 ]…”

System for Patterning Polydopamine and VAPG Peptide on Polytetrafluoroethylene and Biodegradable Polyesters for Patterned Growth of Smooth Muscle Cells In Vitro

“…Micropatterning is a widely investigated method for the targeted growth of animal cells on the surface of polymeric materials. This technique allows for the cultivation of cells that are appropriately elongated and organized in aligned structures, which is a representation closer to the natural environment and morphology of certain tissues in situ than traditional culture methods on flat and extensive surfaces of standard culture vessels . Such organized culture can be achieved by seeding cells onto topographically patterned surfaces that physically direct cell growth, onto chemically patterned surfaces that alter cell adhesion in selected substrate regions, or by targeted delivery of cells to selected substrate regions .…”

Multi-well platform manufacturing combining stereolithography and pulsed laser ablation for cellular studies

“…Surface micropatterning of culture platforms is of great interest to obtain novel properties. Recent studies have found out how different micropatterns can offer antibacterial properties, improve hydrophobicity for selfcleaning, and even control cell attachment [1]. In the latter case, superficial microstructures help to obtain more physiological platforms than the normally used in cellular studies (with polished surfaces), capable of mimic the roughness of tissues or bones [2] to perform cell cultures.…”