A parallel-plate flow chamber to study initial cell adhesion on a nanofeatured surface.
Cells in the human body come across many types of information, which they respond to. Both material chemistry and topography of the surface where they adhere have an effect on cell shape, proliferation, migration, and gene expression. It is possible to create surfaces with topography at the nanometric scale to allow observation of cell-topography interactions. Previous work has shown that 100-nm-diameter pits on a 300-nm pitch can have a marked effect in reducing the adhesion of rat fibroblasts in static cultures. In the present study, a flow of cell suspension was used to investigate cell adhesion onto nanopits in dynamic conditions, by means of a parallel-plate flow chamber. A flow chamber with inner nanotopography has been designed, which allows real-time observation of the flow over the nanopits. A nanopitted pattern was successfully embossed into polymethylmethacrylate to meet the required shape of the chamber. Dynamic cell adhesion after 1 h has been quantified and compared on flat and nanopitted polymethylmethacrylate substrates. The nanopits were seen to be significantly less adhesive than the flat substrates (p < 0.001), which is coherent with previous observations of static cultures.
Martines
Elena
E
Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K. elena@mblab.gla.ac.uk
McGhee
Kieran
K
Wilkinson
Chris
C
Curtis
Adam
A
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008422:Materials Testing; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D013499:Surface Properties
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate