Morphological changes in neurons by self-organized patterned films

In tissue engineering, micro/nanofabrication is important to modify substrate surfaces for regulating the attachment and growth of cells. In neuroscience, it is significant for neural regeneration; this involves guiding and extending dendrites and axons by a cell culture scaffold which acts as an extra cellular matrix. In this study, we prepared highly regular porous honeycomb-patterned films by a simple casting technique and cultured neurons to investigate their morphologies on the patterned films. The morphologies of neurons were examined by a scanning electron microscope and a confocal laser scanning microscope. The neurons were round and the neurites extended randomly on the flat film. The patterns influenced the morphologies of neurons. The morphologies of neurons were changed by varying the pore size of the honeycomb- patterned films. The neurites spread along the rims of the honeycomb pattern. These results suggest that the self-organized honeycomb-patterned films are useful biomaterials for neural tissue engineering.