The pseudo 3D hierarchical structure mimicking in vivo microenvironment was prepared by phase separation on tissue culture plastic. For surface treatment, time-sequenced dosing of the solvent mixture with various concentrations of polymer component was used. The experiments showed that hierarchically structured surfaces with macro, meso and micro pores can be prepared with multi-step phase separation processes. Changes in polystyrene surface topography were characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and contact profilometry. The cell proliferation and changes in cell morphology were tested on the prepared structured surfaces. Four types of cell lines were used for the determination of impact of the 3D architecture on the cell behavior, namely the mouse embryonic fibroblast, human lung carcinoma, primary human keratinocyte and mouse embryonic stem cells. The increase of proliferation of embryonic stem cells and mouse fibroblasts was the most remarkable. Moreover, the embryonic stem cells express different morphology when cultured on the structured surface. The acquired findings expand the current state of knowledge in the field of cell behavior on structured surfaces and bring new technological procedures leading to their preparation without the use of problematic temporary templates or additives.
Keywords: foams; hierarchically structured; line-specific response; phase inversion; phase separations; stem cells; surfaces.