Abstract
We developed a photoresponsive culture surface (PRCS), of which the cell adhesiveness is controlled with light irradiation. A photoresponsive copolymer p(MMA-NSP) was synthesized from methylmethacrylate and methacrylamide monomer containing a nitrospirobenzopyran chromophore by random radical copolymerization. PRCS was prepared by spin-coating a dilute 1,2-dichloroethane solution containing MMA-NSP and poly(ethylene glycol) onto flat glass plates. 5 minutes after disseminating Balb/3T3 cells on the PCRS, UV light (wavelength 365 nm; intensity 35 mW cm2) was irradiated upon a part of PCRS for 5 min. 12 hours later, many cells were observed to adhere to the irradiated region of the PRCS surface, but very few did so in the unirradiated region. After washed with the phosphate buffer saline, it was observed that the density of remaining cells in the irradiated region was twice as much as that in the unirradiated region. These experimental results indicated that the adhesiveness of PRCS to cells can be enhanced considerably by UV irradiation even after seeding cells. It was suggested strongly that the PRCS we developed in this study should provide a novel and useful method for cell manipulation, cell separation and cell-culture patterning.
