Correlation of Cell Adhesive Behaviors on Superhydrophobic, Superhydrophilic, and Micropatterned Superhydrophobic/Superhydrophilic Surfaces to Their Surface Chemistry

Abstract

A micropatterned superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surface was successfully fabricated by plasma CVD and VUV irradiation. Physicochemical properties of the superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic, and superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces were investigated. The roughness structures on the superhydrophilic surface remained intact compared to those of the superhydrophobic surface. The micropatterned superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surface was used as a scaffold of cell culture. On the micropatterned surface, the cells attached to the superhydrophilic regions in a highly selective manner, forming circular microarrays of the cells corresponding to the pattern. On the micropatterned surface with pattern distances of 200 microm between superhydrophilic regions, the cells adhered on the superhydrophilic regions and partly extended to the neighboring cells. In contrast, when the pattern distances between the superhydrophilic regions were more than 400 microm, the cells did not extend to the neighboring cells. Cell adhesion behaviors on superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces were also examined. The cells adhered and proliferated on both superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces. However, on the superhydrophobic surface, constant contact to facilitate cell division and proliferation was required. On the other hand, the cells easily adhered and proliferated on the superhydrophilic surface immediately after seeding. These differences in cell adhesion behavior induced site-selective cell adhesion on the superhydrophilic regions. Furthermore, protein adsorption behavior that plays an important role in cell adhesion on flat hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface was also examined. The amounts of the protein adsorption on the flat hydrophilic surface were much greater than those on the flat hydrophobic surface.