Hippocampal Neuronal Network Directed Geometrically by Sub-Patterns of Microcontact Printing (μCP)

Dong June Ahn; Jong Joo Jin; Gil Sun Lee; Gwangmin Kwon; James Jungho Pak; Jinhee Kim; Kyoung J. Lee

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.9, No.1, 25-30, January, 2003

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Hippocampal Neuronal Network Directed Geometrically by Sub-Patterns of Microcontact Printing (μCP)

Dong June Ahn^†, Jong Joo Jin, Gil Sun Lee, Gwangmin Kwon¹, James Jungho Pak¹, Jinhee Kim², and Kyoung J. Lee^{2, †}

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea
¹Department of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea
²National Creative Research Initiative Center for Neurodynamics and Department of Physics, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea

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The control of neuronal cell adhesion and growth in artificially defined networks in vitro was developed for the study of neuronal signals propagation. Microcontact printing (μCP) with PDMS microstamps was used as the chemical method to control cell adhesion and growth into defined networks. For controlled hippocampal neuronal cell growth, cytophilic poly-d-lysine (PDL) was patterned on glass substrates by μCP and then cytophobic PEG was self-assembled for passivation. The patterns were identified by fluorescent microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and condensation figure. The positively charged surface of PDL patterns interacted electrostatically with the negatively charged moieties of the cell membrane surfaces so that the attachment of the cells to the substrate surface was enhanced. The cultured hippocampus cells grew quite selectively along the printed PDL tracks. The track width suitable for forming single neuronal growth was discovered to be less than about 10 μm.

Keywords:micro contact printing;self-assembly;neuronal cell growth;patterns;hippocampus

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Sung N, Pak JJ, Choi JH, Ahn DJ, Hwang S, Lee KJ, J. Korean Phys. Soc., 40(4), 605 (2002)
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Lauer L, Klein C, Offenhausser A, Biomaterials, 22, 1925 (2001)

[Related Articles]

[1] Stenger DA, Mckenna TM, Enabling Technologies for Cultured Neural Networks, Academic Press, New York (1999)

[2] Scholl M, Sprossler C, Denyer M, Krause M, Nakajima K, Maelicke A, Knoll W, Offenhausser A, J. Neurosci. Methods, 104, 65 (2000)

[3] Clark P, Connolly P, Curtis AS, Dow JA, Wilkinson CD, J. Cell Sci., 99, 73 (1991)

[4] Kleinfeld D, Kahler KH, Hockberger PE, J. Neurosci., 8, 4098 (1988)

[5] Hugh Y, Robinson PC, Kawana A, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 40, 8 (1993)

[6] Corey JM, Wheeler BC, Brewer GJ, J. Neurosci. Res., 30, 300 (1991)

[7] Seong NS, Hwang SM, Lee KJ, Ahn DJ, Pak J, Proc. 8th Korean Conference on Semiconductors, pp. 665-666, Seoul, Korea (2001)

[8] Branch DW, Wheeler BC, Brewer GJ, Leckband DE, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 47, 290 (2000)

[9] Bernard A, Delamarche E, Schmid H, Michel B, Bosshard HR, Biebuyck H, Langmuir, 14(9), 2225 (1998)

[10] Xia Y, Whitesides GM, Angew. Chem.-Int. Edit., 37, 550 (1998)

[11] Mrksich R, Dike LE, Tien J, Ingber DE, Whitesides GM, Exp. Cell Res., 235, 305 (1997)

[12] Sung N, Pak JJ, Choi JH, Ahn DJ, Hwang S, Lee KJ, J. Korean Phys. Soc., 40(4), 605 (2002)

[13] Xie C, Markesbery W, Lovell MA, Free Radical Biology Medicine, 28(5), 665 (2000)

[14] John PM, Kam L, Turner SW, Craighead HG, Issacson M, Turner JN, Shain W, J. Neurosci. Methods, 75, 17H77 (1997)

[15] Segev R, Benveniste M, Hulata E, Cohen N, Palevski A, Kapon E, Shapira Y, Ben-Jacob E, Phys. Rev. Lett., 88(11), 118102 (2002)

[16] Yeung CK, Lauer L, Offenhausser A, Knoll W, Neurosci. Lett., 301, 147 (2001)

[17] Lauer L, Klein C, Offenhausser A, Biomaterials, 22, 1925 (2001)