Preparation and biomedical application of self-organized honeycomb-patterned polymer films

Abstract

We found that self organized honeycomb patterned porous polymer films (honeycomb films) prepared by casting polymer dissolved in a water immiscible solvent under high humidity. We demonstrated that the microtopography of the honeycomb film strongly affected human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, which were the important cell sources for tissue engineering. hMSCs on the honeycomb films having smallsized (1.5 mm) pores induced a dramatic stem cell spheroid formation. PDL cells on the honeycomb films (pore sizes of 10 mm) formed increasingly elongated cell shape to trap in their pores. The honeycomb films, which controlled cellular morphology by changing only the geometric cues without the inducing media, can be applied as functional biomaterials for the regenerative therapy.