title: UV laser-ablated surface textures as potential regulator of cellular response.
abstract: Textured surfaces obtained by UV laser ablation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) films were used to study the effect of shape and spacing of surface features on cellular response. Two distinct patterns, cones and ripples with spacing from 2 to 25 μm, were produced. Surface features with different shapes and spacings were produced by varying pulse repetition rate, laser fluence, and exposure time. The effects of the surface texture parameters, i.e., shape and spacing, on cell attachment, proliferation, and morphology of neonatal human dermal fibroblasts and mouse fibroblasts were studied. Cell attachment was the highest in the regions with cones at ∼4 μm spacing. As feature spacing increased, cell spreading decreased, and the fibroblasts became more circular, indicating a stress-mediated cell shrinkage. This study shows that UV laser ablation is a useful alternative to lithographic techniques to produce surface patterns for controlling cell attachment and growth on biomaterial surfaces.
authors.affiliation: New Jersey Center for Biomaterials, Rutgers University, 145 Bevier Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Prafulla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Hak-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: N Sanjeeva
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kohn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048430:Cell Shape; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D051379:Mice; D013499:Surface Properties; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays