Fibroblast adhesion to micro‐ and nano‐heterogeneous topography using diblock copolymers and homopolymers

Abstract Polymeric substrates of different surface chemistry and length scales were found to have profound influence on cell adhesion. The adhesion of fibroblasts on surfaces of oxidized polystyrene (PS), on surfaces modified with random copolymers of PS and poly(methyl methacrylate) [P(S‐r‐MMA)] with topographic features, and chemically patterned surfaces that varied in lateral length scales from nanometers to microns were studied. Surfaces with heterogeneous topographies were generated from thin film mixtures of a block copolymer, PS‐b‐MMA, with homopolymers of PS and PMMA. The two homopolymers macroscopically phase separated and, with the addition of diblock copolymer, the size scales of the phases decreased to nanometer dimensions. Cell spreading area analysis showed that a thin film of oxidized PS surface promoted adhesion whereas a thin film of P(S‐r‐MMA) surface did not. Fibroblast adhesion was examined on surfaces in which the lateral length scale varied from 60 nm to 6 μm. It was found that, as the lateral length scale between the oxidized PS surfaces decreased, cell spreading area and degree of actin stress fiber formation increased. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the location of filopodia and lamellipodia. It was found that most of the filopodia and lamellipodia interacted with the oxidized PS surfaces. This can be attributed to both chemical and topographic surface interactions that prevent cells from interacting with the P(S‐r‐MMA) at the base of the topographic features. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 71A: 462–469, 2004