Surface characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate) microgrooved for contact guidance of mammalian cells

High-resolution patterns of grooves have been made in poly(methyl methacrylate) films, PMMA, by an electron-beam microlithographic process. The surface of films processed over a large width was characterized in terms of chemical composition (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy), wettability (sessile drop) and topography (atomic force microscopy). Collagen adsorption was also studied (radiocounting, XPS) as such or in competition with Pluronic F68. The chemical alteration of the surface induced by the electron-beam irradiation disappeared after the dissolution involved in the development process. WI38 human fibroblasts cultivated on microgrooved substrata (grooves 1 μm deep and 0.5–10 μm wide) showed a strong orientation parallel to the grooves. The contact guidance is induced by the topography of the surface and not by the alternation of zones with different physico-chemical properties. It may be explained in terms of probability of successful substratum contact by cell protrusions.