Cell adhesion on NiTi thin film sputter-deposited meshes

Free-standing Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) thin film meshes provide highly attractive scaffolds for tissue engineering, as they fulfill special functionalites in vivo. In this study, free-standing Nickel–Titanium(NiTi) thin film meshes were fabricated by means of magnetron sputter deposition. Meshes contained precisely defined rhombic holes in the size of 440 to 1309 μm² and a strut width ranging from 5.3 to 9.2 μm. The effective mechanical properties of the microstructured superelastic NiTi thin film were examined by tensile tests. The influence of hole and strut dimensions on the adhesion of sheep autologous cells (CD133+) was studied after 24 h and after seven days of incubation. Optical analysis using fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed that cell adhesion strongly depends on the structural parameters of the mesh. After 7 days in cell culture a large part of the mesh was covered with aligned fibrous material. Cell adhesion is particularly facilitated on meshes with small rhombic holes of 440 μm² and a strut width of 5.3 μm. Our results demonstrate that free-standing NiTi thin film meshes have a promising potential for applications in cardiovascular tissue engineering, particularly for the fabrication of heart valves.

Reference: K. Loger, A. Engel, J. Haupt, Q. Li, R. Lima de Miranda, E. Quandt, G. Lutter, C. Selhuber-Unkel (2016) Materials Science and Engineering C, 59:611-616.