Identification of three regimes of behavior for cell attachment on topographically patterned substrates.

3T3 fibroblasts were cultured on poly(dimethyl siloxane) line-shaped ridge/groove topography with a range of ridge widths (25-55 microm), ridge spacings (10-80 microm), and two ridge heights (15 and 21 microm). Three distinct regimes of attachment occurred, which were dependent on the ridge spacings used. Using the 21 microm height ridges, at the smallest spacings ( approximately 10-20 microm) cells were able to bridge between neighboring ridges without touching the groove floor below.