By Francesca Antonella Sepúlveda

Cells read the terrain and respond before structure forms. Their next motion is guided by quiet cues sent by the surface underneath them, which can be smooth or rough, printed or polished. Cells adapt to both chemistry and topography by stretching, anchoring, and reorganizing like explorers on new ground. This month, we examine those early cellular choices in greater detail, where material landscapes subtly affect subsequent events.

Just as we adapt our posture depending on where we sit, whether on a soft couch, a rocky trail or a park bench, cells adjust their behavior in response to the surfaces they encounter. This cellular sensitivity to topography is more than a curiosity… it is a fundamental aspect of how materials influence biological responses! Cells read a material’s physical characteristics, such as its alignment, curvature, or roughness, as mechanical signals from the first moments of contact. In the end, these cues impact processes like differentiation and proliferation by directing adhesion, shape, and organization.

Understanding how cells interact with surfaces is essential for the biomaterials industry to build materials that complement the body. High-entropy alloys (HEAs), a novel class of metallic materials with remarkable mechanical and corrosion-resistant qualities, have enormous potential for use in biomedical applications. However, in order to fully realize that potential, we need to explore beyond their composition and examine how cells sense them at the surface.
The following images explore exactly that. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we observe pre-osteoblastic MC3T3 cells cultured on HEAs with two distinct surface finishes.