Hippocampal cell response to substrates with surface chemistry gradients

Surface chemical gradients are valuable tools for the high-throughput screening of cell–surface interactions. However, it has yet to be shown if biological data obtained from gradient surfaces are transferable to substrates with uniform properties. To explore this question, the response of hippocampal neurons to three different sample formats was compared. We fabricated samples of uniform surface wettability and samples with a linear or radial gradient in surface wettability by depositing plasma-polymerized hexane (hydrophobic) on oxygen-etched glass (hydrophilic). Differences in cell density, growth and viability of the neural cultures are found between the uniform and the gradient samples. The nature of the gradient (linear or radial) has only a small effect on the cell density of adhered hippocampal neurons.