Microgels are 3D cross-linked polymer colloids which can react onto outer stimuli by a change of their size. These stimuli can be salt, temperature or light. Due to their swelling ability they can contain upto 90% water. This makes them an interesting polymeric material for interaction with biological systems. Topology and surface chemistry are powerful tools to affect cell adhesion and migration. We focused on use of microgels as building blocks for the decoration of biointerfaces. We developed recently a new technique that allows printing microgels on solid substrates.<br/>By using wrinkled PDMS templates we successfully printed stimuli-responsive poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) microgels in form of colloidal arrays on glass supports. By using low-pressure Argon plasma the microgels were chemically grafted onto the glass substrates. This process lead to highly stable microgel arrays in cell culture media. We could identify the influencing factors on the printing process and were able to print microgels of different size and cross-linking density. It is possible to print We demonstrated that our surface-grafted microgel arrays could serve as novel substrates for the analysis of cell adhesion and migration. Microgel arrays influenced size, speed and dynamics of focal adhesions as well as cell motility forcing cells to move along highly directional trajectories. Modulation of microgel state, spacing or cross-linking density served as an effective tool for regulation of cell motility.

Printing of microgel arrays for regulation of cell motility and adhesion

256th National Meeting (2018)

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