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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 May 2012
Mechanical cues in cellular microenvironment are central in directing aclass of cellular behaviors such as the dynamic of cell adhesion, migration,and differentiation. Several advanced optical techniques, such asstructured-illumination nano-profilometry (SINAP), have been developed for abetter resolution of these dynamic processes. These techniques howeverrequire culturing cells on materials of refractive index close to that ofglass, while most studies regarding the effects of mechanical cues oncellular dynamics were conducted on hydrogel-based substrates. Here wereport the development of culturing substrates of tunable rigidity andrefractive index suitable for SINAP studies. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-basedsubstrates were mixed with a softener called Di(isononyl)Cyclohexane-1,2-Dicarboxylate (DINCH) and cured by heating. The volumeratios of PVC to DINCH were varied from 1:1 to 3:1. The Young’s modulus ofthe resulting substrates ranged from 18 kPa to 40 kPa. The yieldedrefractive indices of the composite substrates as measured by phase contrasttomography ranged from 1.47 to 1.53. Human lung adenocarcinoma cells CL1-5were cultured on the composite substrates and cell viability was examinedusing the MTT assay. The dynamics of cell adhesion and filopodia activitieswere examined using SINAP. Preliminary results suggest that PVC basedculturing substrates have a great potential in the application of SINAPbased studies.