Control of human skin cell adhesion, proliferation and migration by microengineered substrata: transposition from solid phase to clinically relevant materials

The present quantitative time-lapse videomicroscopical study demonstrates that adhesion and migration of human keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in dissociated culture can be oriented and accelerated on solid-phase substrata comprising microtopography and micropatterned surface chemistry. Greater precision in the control of cell behaviour was attempted using microtopographic 'ratchet' devices intended only to allow unidirectional cell migration. The data suggests that that cell-specific guidance cues may preferentially influence subpopulations within mixed cultures, and that cell phenotype is influenced strongly by cell substrate interactions. Evidence reaffirming substratum-dependency for several parameters of behaviour in cultured cells was obtained by replacing rigid substrata with a compliant and derivatised polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel where the magnitude of the responses was equivalent.