Fabrication of Nanopatterned Surfaces for Tissue Engineering

The surface nanotopography of polymer substrates is a critical factor to regulate cellular behavior in tissue engineering approaches. In this study, nanopatterned surfaces were generated via self-assembly of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)/dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid complex systems to control preosteoblast phenotype in vitro. Polystyrene domain sizes under 100 nm strongly affected the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of preosteoblasts cultured on the surfaces, irrespective of the same center-to-center distance between the domains. This approach may provide a useful means to design and develop novel polymer substrates for tissue engineering applications.