Orientation of cell adhesion and growth on patterned heterogeneous polystyrene surface

Studies of neurite outgrowth or cell migration, two important processes in neuronal networks formation, are facilitated by cell culture models capable of orientating cellular growth and of designing a well-defined cellular pa ttern. Heterogeneous polystyrene surfaces composed of oxygen plasma-treated stripes (PSox) with a low hydrophobicity separated by non-treated areas (P S) have these properties. In this study, to guide cell growth, we developed a cell culture model using these supports and we identified the molecular factors involved in cellular orientation. When the heterogeneous supports w ere not coated, proteins from a serum culture medium were required for cell s to line up on PSox. On the other hand, cell orientation on coated surface s was clearly influenced by competitive adsorption of adhesive proteins suc h as fibronectin or collagen and anti-adhesive molecules as pluronic F68 or albumin. Attachment factors were adsorbed on PSox stripes while adsorption of anti-adhesive molecules on the most hydrophobic PS areas prevented cell adhesion or growth. Thus, we describe the preparation of a cell culture su bstrate that succeeded in orientating cell growth and that led to a line of cells on adhesive PSox stripes ranging from 2 to 100 mu m width. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.