Premium
Directional Alignment of MG63 Cells on Polymer Surfaces Containing Point Microstructures
Author(s) -
Mills Christopher A.,
Fernandez Javier G.,
Martinez Elena,
Funes Miriam,
Engel Elisabeth,
Errachid Abdelhamid,
Planell Josep,
Samitier Josep
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200600683
Subject(s) - microstructure , materials science , surface (topology) , polymer , point (geometry) , nanotechnology , surface modification , biophysics , composite material , crystallography , geometry , chemical engineering , chemistry , mathematics , engineering , biology
MG63 cells cultured on regular arrays of point microstructures (posts and holes) are shown to preferentially align at certain angles to the pattern of the structures, at 0°, 30°, and 45° in particular. The effect is found to be more pronounced for post rather than hole structures (although no significant difference is found for the angles the cells make to the holes or posts) and is thought to be due to the fact that the cells use the posts as anchorage points to hold themselves to the surface. It is also shown that cells preferentially align with the structures depending on the dimensions of the structures and the distance between neighboring structures. This is important when designing structured surfaces for cell–surface interaction studies for materials to be used in, for example, drug delivery or tissue engineering.