Cell responses to metallic nanostructure arrays with complex geometries

Zeinab Jahed; Sara Molladavoodi; Brandon B Seo; Maud Gorbet; Ting Y Tsui; Mohammad R K Mofrad

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.07.022

Cell responses to metallic nanostructure arrays with complex geometries

Biomaterials. 2014 Nov;35(34):9363-71. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.07.022. Epub 2014 Aug 11.

Authors

Zeinab Jahed¹, Sara Molladavoodi², Brandon B Seo², Maud Gorbet³, Ting Y Tsui⁴, Mohammad R K Mofrad⁵

Affiliations

¹ Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California Berkeley, 208A Stanley Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-1762, USA.
² Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
³ Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
⁴ Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address: tttsui@uwaterloo.ca.
⁵ Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California Berkeley, 208A Stanley Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-1762, USA; Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Electronic address: mofrad@berkeley.edu.

PMID: 25123921
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.07.022

Abstract

Metallic nanopillar/nanowires are emerging as promising platforms for biological applications, as they allow for the direct characterization and regulation of cell function. Herein we study the response of cells to a versatile nanopillar platform. Nanopillar arrays of various shape, size, and spacing and different nanopillar-substrate interfacial strengths were fabricated and interfaced with fibroblasts and several unique cell-nanopillar interactions were observed using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Nanopillar penetration, engulfment, tilting, lift off and membrane thinning, were observed by manipulating nanopillar material, size, shape and spacing. These unique cell responses to various nanostructures can be employed for a wide range of applications including the design of highly sensitive nano-electrodes for single-cell probing.

Keywords: Cell adhesion; Mechanotransduction; Nanopillar; Nanotopography sensing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Electrodes
Fibroblasts / cytology*
Mice
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Nanostructures / chemistry*
Surface Properties
Swiss 3T3 Cells
Tissue Array Analysis / methods*