Fabrication of Micro-wavy Patterned Surfaces for Enhanced Cell Culturing

Polymer substrates with patterned surface have been utilized to control the cell positioning and spreading for cell adhesion. This paper presents a novel method to fabricate micrometer-scale wavy patterned surfaces with continuous and smooth shape by using a standing surface acoustic wave (SAW) device with the assistance of ultraviolet (UV) polymerization. L929 mouse fibroblasts are then cultured onto these patterned surfaces for durations of 24 h and 48 h, respectively. For the comparison, cells cultured on the flat surfaces without patterns are also carried out. Results showed that cells aligned well with the direction of micro-wavy patterns compared to those on the flat surfaces, thus demonstrated that the fabricated micro-wavy patterns could be utilized for enhanced cell culturing. Further, the enhanced cell adhesive, alignment, and spreading on the patterned surface could be applied for the investigation of cell-cell interaction and communication in tissue engineering.