title: Nano- and microstructured materials for in vitro studies of the physiology of vascular cells.
abstract: The extracellular environment of vascular cells in vivo is complex in its chemical composition, physical properties, and architecture. Consequently, it has been a great challenge to study vascular cell responses in vitro, either to understand their interaction with their native environment or to investigate their interaction with artificial structures such as implant surfaces. New procedures and techniques from materials science to fabricate bio-scaffolds and surfaces have enabled novel studies of vascular cell responses under well-defined, controllable culture conditions. These advancements are paving the way for a deeper understanding of vascular cell biology and materials-cell interaction. Here, we review previous work focusing on the interaction of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) with materials having micro- and nanostructured surfaces. We summarize fabrication techniques for surface topographies, materials, geometries, biochemical functionalization, and mechanical properties of such materials. Furthermore, various studies on vascular cell behavior and their biological responses to micro- and nanostructured surfaces are reviewed. Emphasis is given to studies of cell morphology and motility, cell proliferation, the cytoskeleton and cell-matrix adhesions, and signal transduction pathways of vascular cells. We finalize with a short outlook on potential interesting future studies.
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Zoology, Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Haid-und-Neu-Strasse 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.|now at: Pforzheim University, School of Engineering, Tiefenbronner Strasse 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Greiner
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Adria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sales
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Zoology, Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Haid-und-Neu-Strasse 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Biela
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Institut für Humangenetik, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89070 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.|Reutlingen University, Faculty of Applied Chemistry, Alteburgstrasse 150, 72762 Reutlingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kemkemer
keywords: fabrication methods; materials selection; nano- and micro-topography; vascular endothelial cells; vascular smooth muscle cells