title: Low-aspect ratio nanopatterns on bioinert alumina influence the response and morphology of osteoblast-like cells.
abstract: Topographical features on the nanometer scale are known to influence cellular behavior. The response of specific cell types to various types of surface structures is currently still being investigated. Alumina ceramics play an important role as biomaterials, e.g., in medical and dental applications. In this study, we investigated the influence of nanoscale surface features with low aspect ratio (< 0.1) on the response of osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. To this end, low-energy ion irradiation was employed to produce shallow nanoscale ripple patterns on Al2O3(0001) surfaces with lateral periodicities of 24 nm and 179 nm and heights of only 0.7 and 11.5 nm, respectively. The nanopatterning was found to increase the proliferation of MG-63 cells and may lead to pseudopodia alignment along the ripples. Furthermore, focal adhesion behavior and cell morphology were analyzed. We found that MG-63 cells are able to recognize surface nanopatterns with extremely low vertical variations of less than 1 nm. In conclusion, it is shown that surface topography in the sub-nm range significantly influences the response of osteoblast-like cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wittenbrink
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hausmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schickle
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lauria
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Roswitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davtalab
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 118, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O.B. 510119, 01314, Dresden, Germany; Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany. Electronic address: adrian.keller@uni-paderborn.de.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: hfischer@ukaachen.de.
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes; D000537:Aluminum Oxide
keywords: Alumina; Ion beam; Nanotopography; Osteoblast