The optimal vibrational shear stress for bovine endothelial cell proliferation

In this study, a novel method for quantitative analysis of the optimal shear stress for better cell growth using a micro-positioning piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stage is proposed. Compared with the conventional fluidic sheer stress, a micro- positioning PZT stage not only provides cultured cells with laminar flow, but also is able to generate large shear stress gradient by precise reciprocating motions. Bovine endothelial cells (BEC) are than cultured on different scaffolds for investigation of cell proliferation under different vibrational excitations by a PZT stage. The fluorescence labeling is adopted to estimate the adhesive area of a cultured cell. It is observed that cells cultured on different artificial scaffolds adjusted their adhesion area to respond to the shear stress induced stimulus. Optimal growth curves for BECs on different scaffolds are drawn. The optimal shear stress for the proliferation of BECs on different scaffolds is found to be closely identical. It is suggested that a micro-positioning PZT stage may be a more cost and time effective solution than the nanostructured scaffold approach for the enhancement of cell growth.