Electrical stimulation (ES) has been considered a promising strategy in regulating intracellular communication, membrane depolarization, ion transport, etc. Meanwhile, cell topography, such as the alignment and elongation in anisotropic orientation, also plays a critical role in triggering mechanotransduction as well as the cellular fate. However, coupling of ES and cell orientation to regulate the polarization of macrophages is yet to be explored. In this work, we intended to explore the polarization of macrophages on a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene [P(VDF-TrFE)] film with intrinsic microstripe roughness, which was covered on indium tin oxide planar microelectrodes. We found that mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) cultured on a P(VDF-TrFE) film exhibited an elongated morphology aligned with the microstripe crystal whisker, but their polarization behavior was not affected. However, the elongated cells were susceptible to ES and upregulated their M2 polarization, as verified by the related expression of phenotype markers, cytokines, and genes, while not affecting M1 polarization. This is due to the increased expression of the M2 polarization receptor interleukin-4Rα on the surface of elongated BMDMs, while the M1 polarization receptor toll-like receptor 4 was not affected. Thus, M2 polarization was singularly enhanced after activation of polarization by ES. The combination of surface morphology and ES to promote M2 single polarization in this work provides a new perspective for regulating macrophage polarization in the field of immunotherapy.
Keywords: M2 polarization; P(VDF-TrFE); electrical stimulation; macrophage; microstripe rough topography.