Effect of Force Field on Deformation and Migration of Single Cell With Orientation Controlled by Micro-Striped Topography Patterns

The effect of the force field parallel to the surface of the scaffold plate on cell activity (deformation, migration) has been studied in vitro. Cell orientation was aligned by microtopography patterns (striped ridgelines; height 0.7 μm, width 3 μm, spacing 3 μm) on the scaffold plane. Three compartments were designed with different angles (0 deg, 45 deg, and 90 deg) between the longitudinal direction of the ridge and the direction of the force field. Osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1; osteoblast precursor cell line derived from mouse calvaria) were used in the experiment. After applying a force field for 5 h, the position and contour of each cell were tracked on time-lapse microscopy images for 48 h. Experimental results show that force fields not parallel to the major axis of the cell activate subsequent actions (deformation, migration) of the cell. The effect is maintained for 48 h even if the cells move to different areas of the topography pattern.