Cultivation of Rat Nerve Cells on Nanoimprinted Microstructures on Polydimethylsiloxane Sheets

Regenerative medical research has attracted remarkable attention after the development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells [1]. Current focus in this field of research aims at restoring the function of the nervous system after trauma. The transplantation of neural stem cell suspension into an injured area has proven to be an effective treatment method. Several reports related to possible treatments of extensively injured areas and extension of remedy time have been published [2]. However, the shortcoming of this research is mainly associated with the limited ability of the nerve cells to regenerate. Other interesting areas of regenerative medicine are related to the artificial fabrication of the lost human functions such as the nervous system in a laboratory setting [3].

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films are very flexible and stretchable films and various kinds of micro patterns have been fabricated onto these using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) techniques such as nanoimprinting [4]. Here we report the cultivation of nerve cells on PDMS culture sheets with micro trench structures on a PDMS substrate fabricated using nanoimprinting.　We fabricated micro trench structures with varying widths of 15 and 150 μm and depths of 30 and 60 μm using the nanoimprint technique on a 100 μm thick polydimethylsiloxane culture sheet used as a biocompatible polymer culture sheet. Rat neurons were observed to grow after 3 days selectively within those micro trenches with widths larger than 15 μm, and they were coated with polylysine. Accumulation of glial cells was also observed in the trenches.

References

[1] K. Takahashi and S. Yamanaka, Cell, 126 (2006) 663.

[2] P. Brundin, J. Karlsson, M. Emgård, G. S. Schierle, O. Hansson, A. Petersén, and R. F. Castilho, Cell Transplant., 9 (2000) 179.

[3] R Singhvi, A. Kumar, G. P. Lopez, G. N. Stephanopoulos, D. I. Wang, G. M. Whitesides, and D. E. Ingber. Science, 264 (1994) 696.

[4] M. N. De Silva, R. Desai, and D. J. Odde. Biomed. Microdevices, 6 (2004) 219.