Effect of pore size of honeycomb films on the morphology, adhesion and cytoskeletal organization of cardiac myocytes

Cells respond to the circumstances such as structures and chemical composition of scaffolds and cytokine. In this report, the responses of cytoskeleton and spreading of cardiac myocytes to the self-organized honeycomb-patterned films (honeycomb films) of biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) with several pore sizes were investigated. The expression of actin filament of cardiac myocytes was strongly dependent on the pore size ranging from 4 to 13 mu m. Immunofluoreseent labeling of vinculin in cardiac myocytes showed localization of focal contact along the edge of the honeycomb pores. The results indicated that the honeycomb structures and the pore sizes influence the morphology, cytoskeletal organization and focal adhesion of the cardiac myocytes. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.