Standing surface acoustic wave-assisted fabrication of patterned microstructures for enhancing cell migration

Microfluidic device with patterned microstructures on the substrate surface was used to regulate cell adhesion, morphology, and functions in tissue engineering. We developed a microfluidic device which employing microscale patterned microstructures to achieve enhanced cell adhesion and migration. Biocompatible hydrogel substrates with micro-wavy and lattice-patterned microstructures were fabricated using standing surface acoustic waves and ultraviolet solidification. After seeding the L929 mouse fibroblast cells onto the patterned substrate of the microfluidic device, we determined that the viability and proliferation rate of cell migration can be greatly enhanced. Furthermore, L929 cells showed two types of gathering modes after 48 h of culturing. Cell growth was guided by the patterned substrate used in the microfluidic device and showed differences in the location distribution. Therefore, the developed microfluidic device with patterned microstructures can extend the application of in vitro cell culturing for future drug development and disease diagnosis.