AVS 46th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Group Wednesday Sessions
       Session BI-WeM

Paper BI-WeM1
Fabrication of Biologically Active Interfaces upon Self-Organization of Amphiphilic Polymers

Wednesday, October 27, 1999, 8:20 am, Room 613/614

Session: Cell Solid-Surface Interactions
Presenter: T. Nishikawa, Hokkaido University, Japan
Authors: T. Nishikawa, Hokkaido University, Japan
J. Nishida, Hokkaido University, Japan
K. Nishikawa, Hokkaido University, Japan
R. Ookura, Hokkaido University, Japan
S.-I. Nishimura, Hokkaido University, Japan
S. Wada, Hokkaido University, Japan
T. Karino, Hokkaido University, Japan
H. Okubo, Hokkaido University, Japan
M. Matsushita, Hokkaido University, Japan
S. Todo, Hokkaido University, Japan
M. Shimomura, Hokkaido University, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
Fabrication of cell culture substrates possessing micro surface morphology is one of the current topics in biomaterial research. Recently we found that two dimensional honeycomb structures can be fabricated by casting dilute solutions of amphiphilic compounds on solid supports in a humid atmosphere. The structural feature of the honeycomb films is a two dimensional single layer of hexagonally arrayed holes, whose diameter is ranging from 1 µm to 10 µm. We suggest that the honeycomb films work as artificial basal films - biologically active interfaces between cells and solid supports. The porous structure will enable the adhered cells to reach and interact with the surface of solid support as well as the exposed surface of the cast films. The pore size, porosity, and thickness of the films can be major factors which control the cell behavior on the culture substrates. In this sense cell behavior on porous surfaces can be influenced by the surface morphology as well as the chemical properties of the polymers constituting the films. In this report we describe the fabrication of the honeycomb films and the cell culturing on the films from the view point of factors affecting the cell adhesion in detail. Honeycomb films with various pore size and film thickness were fabricated by casting dilute solution of amphiphilic copolymers on water surfaces. The films were transferred onto cell adhesive supports (slide glass) or non-adhesive supports (polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate coated glass plate). Bovine aorta endothelial cells or hepatocytes were cultured on the honeycomb films. The thicknesses of the films were varied with the water temperature of the subphase (at 6°C 0.2 µm in thickness and 4 µm in hole diameter and at 20°C 1.5 µm in thickness and 4 µm of hole diameter). The cell adhesion to the honeycomb films was considerably influenced by the film thickness, which determines the distance between the adhered cells and the solid supports.