Cell-scale microstructures promote osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells

Biological and morphological response of single cells are typically regulated by external physical stimuli such as substrate topographical dimension scale and pattern shape, etc. Different sizes of microstructures exhibit diverse regulation on cell behaviors such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. However, the effects of cell-scale curvatures on cell differentiation and the underlying mechanism are yet to be understood. Here, we prepared microgrooves and microwells with different radii of curvatures and systematically analyzed the cell behaviors and functions on these structures. Interestingly, we found that microstructures with the cell scale curvature radii (50 µm) could provide maximum acting forces to cells and thus improve cell spreading and promote osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Additionally, the osteogenesis of MC3T3-E1 cells onto the microgroove outperformed these onto other microstructures, which may be attributed to the two-dimensional force generated by narrow continuous curvatures. This study presents an overview of cell differentiation induced by cell-scale microstructures, which may aid in the design of next-generation bone tissue engineering scaffolds. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.