Control of cell orientation in mesenchymal cell sheets fabricated using microstructured mesh sheet

Abstract

We have developed a novel method for fabricating monolayer cell sheets by culturing cells on microstructured mesh sheets suspended in a culture medium as substrates for cell attachment and growth. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between cell orientation and mesh shape with the aim of generating cell sheets with defined cell orientation. When cultured on mesh sheets with a diamond shape, fibroblasts reorganized to form monolayer cell sheets with cells aligned primarily in the direction of the major axis. Thus, by modulating mesh shape, it is possible to fabricate mesh sheets with controlled cell orientation for use in tissues/organs such as the skeleton and heart muscles where cell alignment is particularly critical to the realization of proper tissue/organ function.