Cell-scaffold adhesion dynamics measured in first seconds predicts cell growth on days scale – optical tweezers study

Understanding the cell-biomaterial interface from the very first contact is of crucial importance for their successful implementation and function in damaged tissues. However, the lack of bio- and mechano-analytical methods to investigate and probe the initial processes on the interface, especially in 3D, raises the need for applying new experimental techniques. In our study, optical tweezers combined with confocal fluorescence microscopy were optimized to investigate the initial cell-scaffold contact and to investigate its correlation with the material-dependent cell growth. By the optical tweezers-induced cell manipulation accompanied by force detection up to 100 pN and position detection by fluorescence microscopy, accurate adhesion dynamics and strength analysis was implemented, where several attachment sites were formed on the interface in the first few seconds. More importantly, we have shown that dynamics of cell adhesion on scaffold surfaces correlates with cell growth on the days scale, which indicates that the first seconds of the contact could markedly direct further cell response. Such a contact dynamics analysis on 3D scaffold surfaces, applied for the first time, can thus serve to predict scaffold biocompatibility.