Rojas-Rodríguez Marta, Fiaschi Tania, Mannelli Michele, Mortati Leonardo, Celegato Federica, Wiersma Diederik S, Parmeggiani Camilla, Martella Daniele
European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
Department of Biomedical, Experimental, and Clinical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, viale Morgagni 50, 50143 Florence, Italy.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2023 Feb 15;15(11):14122-30. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c22892.
Cell contact guidance is widely employed to manipulate cell alignment and differentiation . The use of nano- or micro-patterned substrates allows efficient control of cell organization, thus opening up to biological models that cannot be reproduced spontaneously on standard culture dishes. In this paper, we explore the concept of cell contact guidance by Liquid Crystalline Networks (LCNs) presenting different surface topographies obtained by self-assembly of the monomeric mixture. The materials are prepared by photopolymerization of a low amount of diacrylate monomer dissolved in a liquid crystalline solvent, not participating in the reaction. The alignment of the liquid crystals, obtained before polymerization, determines the scaffold morphology, characterized by a nanometric structure. Such materials are able to drive the organization of different cell lines, e.g., fibroblasts and myoblasts, allowing for the alignment of single cells or high-density cell cultures. These results demonstrate the capabilities of rough surfaces prepared from the spontaneous assembly of liquid crystals to control biological models without the need of lithographic patterning or complex fabrication procedures. Interestingly, during myoblast differentiation, also myotube structuring in linear arrays is observed along the LCN fiber orientation. The implementation of this technology will open up to the formation of muscular tissue with well-aligned fibers mimicking the structure of native tissues.
细胞接触导向被广泛用于操纵细胞排列和分化。使用纳米或微图案化底物能够有效控制细胞组织，从而开创了在标准培养皿上无法自发重现的生物学模型。在本文中，我们探讨了通过液晶网络（LCNs）实现细胞接触导向的概念，这些液晶网络呈现出通过单体混合物自组装获得的不同表面形貌。这些材料是通过溶解在不参与反应的液晶溶剂中的少量二丙烯酸酯单体的光聚合制备而成。聚合前获得的液晶排列决定了支架形态，其特征为纳米结构。这类材料能够驱动不同细胞系（如成纤维细胞和平滑肌细胞）的组织化，实现单细胞或高密度细胞培养的排列。这些结果证明了由液晶自发组装制备的粗糙表面在无需光刻图案化或复杂制造工艺的情况下控制生物学模型的能力。有趣的是，在成肌细胞分化过程中，还观察到沿LCN纤维方向形成线性排列的肌管结构。这项技术的应用将有助于形成具有排列良好的纤维、模仿天然组织结构的肌肉组织。
