title: Micropatterning of mammalian cells on inorganic-based nanosponges.
abstract: Developing artificial scaffolding structures in vitro in order to mimic physiological-relevant situations in vivo is critical in many biological and medical arenas including bone and cartilage generation, biomaterials, small-scale biomedical devices, tissue engineering, as well as the development of nanofabrication methods. We focus on using simple physical principles (photolithography) and chemical techniques (liquid vapor deposition) to build non-cytotoxic scaffolds with a nanometer resolution through using silicon substrates as the backbone. This method merges an optics-based approach with chemical restructuring to modify the surface properties of an IC-compatible material, switching from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. Through this nanofabrication-based approach that we developed, hydrophobic oxidized silicon nanosponges were obtained. We then probed cellular responses-examining cytoskeletal and morphological changes in living cells through a combination of fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-via culturing Chinese hamster ovary cells, HIG-82 fibroblasts and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells on these silicon nanosponges. This study has demonstrated the potential applications of using these silicon-based nanopatterns such as influencing cellular behaviors at desired locations with a micro-/nanometer level.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanoengineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Yao
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tzu-Chun
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Hung-Hsun
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.forename: Tang-Long
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: J Andrew
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Chao-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002460:Cell Line; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D049329:Nanostructures; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D013499:Surface Properties; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D007287:Inorganic Chemicals