The effect of micronscale anisotropic cross patterns on fibroblast migration

Cell movement on adhesive surfaces is a complicated process based on myriad cell–surface interactions. Although both micron and nanoscale surface topography have been known to be important in understanding cell–materials interactions, typically only simple patterns (e.g., parallel lines or aligned posts) have been used in studying cell morphology, migration, and behavior. This restriction has limited the understanding of the multidirectional aspects of cell–surface response. The present study was performed to investigate cell morphology and motility on micronscale anisotropic cross patterns and parallel line patterns having different aspect ratios (1:2, 1:4, and 1:∞), grid size (12-, 16-, and 24-μm distance neighboring longer side ridges), and height of ridges (3- and 10-μm). The movement characteristics were analyzed quantitatively with respect to cell migration speed, migration angle, persistence time (P) and motility coefficient (μ). A significant effect of the 1:4 grid aspect ratio cross patterns and parallel line patterns on cell alignment and directionality of migration was observed. Cell motility was also dependent on the patterned surface topography: the migration speed was significantly enhanced by the 1:2 and 1:4 cross patterns when the grid size was smaller than the size of individual cells (i.e., ∼16 μm). In addition, the migration speed of cells on lower patterns was greater than on higher ridges. Overall, cell morphology and motility was influenced by the aspect ratio of the cross pattern, the grid size, and the height of ridges.