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Effect of Porous Substrate Topographies on Cell Dynamics: A Computational Study
Alyse R Gonthier1, Elliot L Botvinick2,3,4,5,6, Anna Grosberg2,3,6,7,8,9
1Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|September 15, 2023
Summary
Biomaterial microscale curvature influences cell behavior and migration. Understanding this relationship is key for designing better medical implants and predicting immune responses without chemical triggers.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cellular Mechanobiology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Controlling cell-substrate interactions via biomaterial microstructure offers advantages over chemical triggers for modulating cell dynamics and immune responses.
- Recent in vivo studies highlight the impact of porous implant microscale curvature on cell behavior and immune response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cell-substrate interactions using a 3D computational model.
- To explore how microscale curvature of porous biomaterials influences cell migration, shape, and actin dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Developed a 3D computational model of cell migration and cell-substrate interactions.
- Incorporated membrane tension to accurately replicate in vitro cell behavior on curved surfaces.
- Simulated cells interacting with two distinct porous material substrates with different microscale curvature distributions.
Main Results:
- Observed distinct differences in cell migration behaviors, shapes, and actin polymerization dynamics between the two substrate types.
- Correlated these cellular differences to the shape energy of cells interacting with the porous substrates.
- Demonstrated that microscale curvature directly influences cell shape and migration patterns.
Conclusions:
- Microscale curvature of biomaterials acts as an energetic landscape that cells interrogate, directly influencing their behavior.
- Findings support further investigation into surface topography's role in implant-mediated immune responses.
- This research advances biomaterial design principles by highlighting the importance of microstructural characteristics.
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