Controlling mammalian cell spreading and cytoskeletal arrangement with conveniently fabricated continuous wavy features on poly(dimethylsiloxane)

This paper reports a simple and versatile technique for generating structures on the surfaces of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), approximately sinusoidal waves with periods between 0.1 and 10 mum, and the use of these structures to study cell contact guidance.' The features are generated by stretching PDMS slabs mechanically, oxidizing them in an oxygen plasma, and allowing them to relax. These surface features are similar to photolithographically fabricated grooves that have traditionally been used to investigate cell contact guidance, although their edges are rounded rather than angular. Bovine capillary endothelial cells align and elongate on these features. The morphology and cytoskeletal structure of the aligned cells are similar to those of cells described in previous studies of contact guidance on surfaces with other types of topography. These observations and comparisons indicate that sharp edges in the features defining the grooves are not essential in eliciting contact guidance. This technique provides a method for fabricating microfeatures for the studies of the interactions between cells and their environment that does not require a cleanroom or access to photolithographic tools.