A polymer-based artificial microenvironment for enhancing cell adhesion

An efficient platform capable of cell adhesion needs to be developed to understand cell activities such as cell differentiation, diffusion, and migration. The basic sequence of cell adhesion involves cells communicating with their environment by generating mechanical and chemical signals. Thin polymeric films with micro- or nano-patterns are widely used to support cell growth with conformal contact at the biointerface. However, stable and biocompatible films with high reproducibility on a flexible substrate remain a challenge. As described here, we developed micro-pattern poly(tetrafluoroethyleneco-perfluoro-3,6-dioxa-4-methyl-7-octenesulfonic acid) (Nafion) films fabricated by a molding process. We present the fabrication and characterization of flexible, micro-patterned Nafion films and the evaluation of cell adhesion and alignment on these films. We found that cell adhesion and migration/direction could be modulated by controlling the surface architecture. This approach offers a new platform that constitutes a promising tool for use in flexible cell-based platforms and devices to observe cell-cell and cell-surface interactions.