Cell microarrays on photochemically modified polytetrafluoroethylene

We studied the adhesion, proliferation, and viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK) on modified spots at polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces. The viability of the cells was assessed using an aqueous non-radioactive cell proliferation assay. Round spots with a diameter of 100 μm were modified by exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) light of a Xe2*-excimer lamp at a wavelength of 172 nm in an ammonia atmosphere employing a contact mask. The spots were arranged in a quadratic pattern with 300 μm center-to-center spot distances. With optimized degree of modification, the cells adhered to the modified spots with a high degree of selectivity (70–90%). The adhered cells on the spots proliferated. This resulted in a significant increase in the number of adhering HUVECS or HEK cells after seeding and in the formation of confluent cell clusters after 3–4 days. With higher start seeding density, these clusters were not only confined to the modified spots but extended several micrometer to the neighborhood. The high potential of the cell microarrays for gene analysis in living cells was demonstrated with HEK cells transfected by yellow fluorescent protein (YFP).