Anodic Aluminum Oxide Nanopore Template-Assisted Fabrication of Nanostructured Poly(vinyl Alcohol) Hydrogels for Cell Studies

The effect of systematically varied mechanical properties and nano- and microscale surface topography on the adhesion and proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells on fibronectin-functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels was studied to understand the impact of these properties of the cell microenvironment on cell attachment and spreading. The mechanical properties of PVA, as assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation, were varied by the number of freezing-thawing cycles in the physical cross-linking process used for the generation of the hydrogels. Nano- and micropatterned hydrogel surfaces exposing nanosized PVA pillars and cuboids were fabricated by replicating ordered cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) templates, respectively. Softer PVA hydrogels, functionalized covalently with fibronectin, showed enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation of PaTu 8988t cells in comparison to stiffer hydrogels. In addition, PaTu 8988t cells favored the nanopatterned surfaces over micropatterned and flat hydrogels.