Laser Surface Microstructuring of a Bio-Resorbable Polymer to Anchor Stem Cells, Control Adipocyte Morphology, and Promote Osteogenesis

New strategies in regenerative medicine include the implantation of stem cells cultured in bio-resorbable polymeric scaffolds to restore the tissue function and be absorbed by the body after wound healing. This requires the development of appropriate micro-technologies for manufacturing of functional scaffolds with controlled surface properties to induce a specific cell behavior. The present report focuses on the effect of substrate topography on the behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) before and after co-differentiation into adipocytes and osteoblasts. Picosecond laser micromachining technology (PLM) was applied on poly (L-lactide) (PLLA), to generate different microstructures (microgrooves and microcavities) for investigating cell shape, orientation, and MSCs co-differentiation. Under certain surface topographical conditions, MSCs modify their shape to anchor at specific groove locations. Upon MSCs differentiation, adipocytes respond to changes in substrate height and depth by adapting the intracellular distribution of their lipid vacuoles to the imposed physical constraints. In addition, topography alone seems to produce a modest, but significant, increase of stem cell differentiation to osteoblasts. These findings show that PLM can be applied as a high-efficient technology to directly and precisely manufacture 3D microstructures that guide cell shape, control adipocyte morphology, and induce osteogenesis without the need of specific biochemical functionalization.