Table 2.

Studies reporting the effects of geometrical factors on cells.

Material/Substrates	Properties	Cell Type	Effects	Ref.
Mo3Se3− SCAC nanowire	Inorganic 1D nanowire of 0.6 nm in diameter	L929 fibroblast cells and MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells	Significant increase in the proliferation of cells was observed in the presence of 1D nanowires.	[34]
Au nanomaterials coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA)	Nanospheres, nanostars, and nanorods of sizes 40 nm, 70 nm, and 100 nm	hMSCs	Size and shape dependent osteogenic differentiation of cells occurred. Nanospheres (40 nm and 70 nm) and nanorods (70 nm) increased the alkaline phosphate activity (ALP) and calcium deposition of the cells.	[35]
PAAm gel micropatterned with collagen I	Stiffness of PAAm gel: Soft (~1 kPa) and stiff (~7 kPa). Diverse shapes of micropatterns with identical area: Square, triangular, and rectangular	MCF-10A cells	Cell−cell junctions could be impaired as matrix became stiffer and the cell shapes became more elongated by the micropatterns. The cell generated tractions that were increased progressively as the pattern shapes were changed from squares to triangles and rectangles.	[40]
Au islands coated with fibronectin	Geometry: Square (250 μm or 500 μm edge), rectangular (125 × 500 μm), and circular (564 μm in diameter)	Normal rat kidney epithelial cells	Geometries of micropatterns altered the cell proliferation by affecting cytoskeletal tension. High cell proliferation was observed on the edges and corners of the square islands.	[37]
Au substrates coated with fibronectin	Circular shape with different diameters (100, 300, 600, and 3000 nm)	Epidermal stem cells	Nanoscale adhesion geometry determined the fate of epidermal stem cells by changing cell shape and AP-1 transcription activity.	[42]
Poly(trimethylene carbonate)	3D microtopographic cell culture chips with concave and convex spherical structures (250 μm in diameter and 1/125 μm−1 as principal curvature)	hMSCs	Cytoskeleton-tension-associated pull force on the concave surface: enhanced the cell attachment and increased its migration speed. Push force on convex surface: caused increases in osteogenic differentiation, lamin-A levels, and nuclear deformation.	[43]
Fibronectin fibers and poly oligo(ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) brushes	Quasi-2D fibrous pattern (Dimension: 250, 550, 800, and 1000 nm width, Density: 22 ± 8% and 60 ± 5%)	HaCaT cells	Nanoscale geometry of the ECM acted as an important regulator for cell adhesion, spreading, and shaping. Nanofibrous structures allowed cell adhesions to develop along one axis.	[44]
Au	3D leaf-like structure (nanospikes)	hMSCs	3D nanostructured architecture promoted MSC alignment and neurogenic differentiation	[45]
PDMS coated with collagen I	Smooth and microgrooved topography (10 μm wide, 10 μm apart, and 5 μm deep) Stiffness: 90 ± 8 kPa (soft) and 1500 ± 110 kPa (hard)	hMSCs	Microgrooved stiff substrate led to high cell viscoelastic properties and expression of α-actin and h1-calponin	[48]
PDMS coated with fibronectin	Nanoscale gratings and pillars: 300 nm, 500 nm, and 1000 nm width and diameter Height: 150 nm, 300 nm, and 560 nm	NHLF cells	Nanoscale gratings and pillars facilitated focal adhesion of cells. Nanogratings oriented focal adhesions and nuclei along the nanograting directions.	[49]
PDMS coated with gelatin	Micropatterned substrate: Height (1.5 μm), Groove width (2, 3, 4, and 5 μm), Ridge width (2, 3, 4, and 5 μm)	An accelerated aging cell model derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)	Substrates with specific micropatterns, such as groove width of 5 μm and ridge width of 5 μm, led to higher cell aging via disruption of the connection between the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton and triggering of DNA damage	[50]
Ti surface	Nanotopographic pattern, wettability, and mechanical strength	hGF cells	Ti surfaces with pore diameter (74 nm), surface roughness (41.6 nm), surface area (30.4 μm2), and hydrophilicity (65.5°) resulted in enhanced cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation	[56]