Development of a dynamic conversion technique of cell culture surface using alginate thin film

This paper presents a novel technique that can dynamically convert cell-non-adhesiveness of the culture surface to cell-adhesiveness. The alginate thin film is used as a material that inhibits adhesion of cells. It is formed on the glass plate by spin-coating of the sodium alginate solution and dipping into the calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution. Also, it can be removed by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), which is calcium chelator, at arbitrary timing during cell culture. This technique permits the observation of cellular responses to conversion of culture surface in real time by optical microscope. Thus, the effect of a culture surface condition on cells may be clarified by real-time cellular response observation when the culture surface is dynamically converted. We demonstrated the validity of the coating method of alginate thin film. As a result, thickness of the alginate thin film was controlled by rotating speed of spin-coating. Also, we evaluated the performance of the alginate thin film as cell-non-adhesiveness material and the availability of the dynamic conversion of the cell culture surface. As a result of cell cultivation test, the alginate thin film inhibited completely the adhesion of cultured cells to the culture surface irrespective of the thickness. When the alginate thin film was removed from culture surface by injecting EDTA, the cultured cells adhered to the culture surface and changed its morphology. Moreover, we fabricated a microdevice with dynamic conversion culture surface. In the near future, the authors will evaluate the effect of culture surface conversion on cells by using the fabricated microdevice in real time.