Endothelial cell micropatterning: methods, effects, and applications

Abstract

The effects of flow on endothelial cells (ECs) have been widely examined for the ability of fluid shear stress to alter cell morphology and function; however, the effects of EC morphology without flow have only recently been observed. An increase in lithographic techniques in cell culture spurred a corresponding increase in research aiming to confine cell morphology. These studies lead to a better understanding of how morphology and cytoskeletal configuration affect the structure and function of the cells. This review examines EC micropatterning research by exploring both the many alternative methods used to alter EC morphology and the resulting changes in cellular shape and phenotype. Micropatterning induced changes in EC proliferation, apoptosis, cytoskeletal organization, mechanical properties, and cell functionality. Finally, the ways these cellular manipulation techniques have been applied to biomedical engineering research, including angiogenesis, cell migration, and tissue engineering, are discussed.

Fig 1

Diagram of the basic anatomy of the artery illustrating the primary cell types that interface with the endothelial layer.

Fig 2

Schematics of common micropatterning methods used with endothelial cells.

Fig 3

Relative changes for non-patterned, micropatterned, or fluid shear stress elongated endothelial cells. Data in (a) and (b) are divided by the lowest value in each data set, resulting in a baseline of 1. Data in (c) are taken directly from the published work. Vartanian et al. calculated direct fold changes (2^-ddCt); whereas Kato et al. used relative differences from gel electrophoresis. * indicates data from the greatest treatment difference ** indicates the average from three patterns