High-Resolution Adhesion Kinetics of EGCG-Exposed Tumor Cells on Biomimetic Interfaces: Comparative Monitoring of Cell Viability Using Label-Free Biosensor and Classic End-Point Assays

Epigallocatechin Gallate for the Treatment of Benign and Malignant Gynecological Diseases-Focus on Epigenetic Mechanisms

The most common malignant gynecologic diseases are cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal, and vulvar cancer. Among them, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A great number of women suffer from endometriosis, uterine fibroids (UFs), adenomyosis, dysmenorrhea, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which are widespread benign health problems causing troublesome and painful symptoms and significantly impairing the quality of life of affected women, and they are some of the main causes of infertility. In addition to the available surgical and pharmacological options, the effects of supporting standard treatment with naturally occurring compounds, mainly polyphenols, are being studied. Catechins are responsible for the majority of potential health benefits attributed to green tea consumption. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is considered a non-toxic, natural compound with potential anticancer properties. Antioxidant action is its most common function, but attention is also drawn to its participation in cell division inhibition, apoptosis stimulation and epigenetic regulation. In this narrative review, we describe the role of EGCG consumption in preventing the development of benign reproductive disorders such as UF, endometriosis, and PCOS, as well as malignant gynecologic conditions. We discuss possible epigenetic mechanisms that may be related to the action of EGCG.

Label-free biomolecular and cellular methods in small molecule epigallocatechin-gallate research

Small molecule natural compounds are gaining popularity in biomedicine due to their easy access to wide structural diversity and their proven health benefits in several case studies. Affinity measurements of small molecules below 100 Da molecular weight in a label-free and automatized manner using small amounts of samples have now become a possibility and reviewed in the present work. We also highlight novel label-free setups with excellent time resolution, which is important for kinetic measurements of biomolecules and living cells. We summarize how molecular-scale affinity data can be obtained from the in-depth analysis of cellular kinetic signals. Unlike traditional measurements, label-free biosensors have made such measurements possible, even without the isolation of specific cellular receptors of interest. Throughout this review, we consider epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as an exemplary compound. EGCG, a catechin found in green tea, is a well-established anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agent. It has undergone extensive examination in numerous studies, which typically rely on fluorescent-based methods to explore its effects on both healthy and tumor cells. The summarized research topics range from molecular interactions with proteins and biological films to the kinetics of cellular adhesion and movement on novel biomimetic interfaces in the presence of EGCG. While the direct impact of small molecules on living cells and biomolecules is relatively well investigated in the literature using traditional biological measurements, this review also highlights the indirect influence of these molecules on the cells by modifying their nano-environment. Moreover, we underscore the significance of novel high-throughput label-free techniques in small molecular measurements, facilitating the investigation of both molecular-scale interactions and cellular processes in one single experiment. This advancement opens the door to exploring more complex multicomponent models that were previously beyond the reach of traditional assays.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and its nanoformulation in cervical cancer therapy: the role of genes, MicroRNA and DNA methylation patterns

Green tea, a popular and healthy nonalcoholic drink consumed globally, is abundant in natural polyphenols. One of these polyphenols is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which offers a range of health benefits, such as metabolic regulation, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and potential anticancer properties. Clinical research has shown that EGCG can inhibit cancers in the male and female reproductive systems, including ovarian, cervical, endometrial, breast, testicular, and prostate cancers. Further research on cervical cancer has revealed the crucial role of epigenetic mechanisms in the initiation and progression of this type of cancer. These include changes to the DNA, histones, and non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs. These changes are reversible and can occur even before genetic mutations, making them a potential target for intervention therapies. One promising approach to cancer prevention and treatment is the use of specific agents (known as epi-drugs) that target the cancer epigenome or epigenetic dysregulation. Phytochemicals, a group of diverse molecules, have shown potential in modulating cancer processes through their interaction with the epigenetic machinery. Among these, green tea and its main polyphenol EGCG have been extensively studied. This review highlights the therapeutic effects of EGCG and its nanoformulations on cervical cancer. It also discusses the epigenetic events involved in cervical cancer, such as DNA methylation and microRNA dysregulation, which may be affected by EGCG.

Polysaccharide-based nano-engineered multilayers for controlled cellular adhesion in label-free biosensors

Controlling cellular adhesion is a critical step in the development of biomaterials, and in cell- based biosensing assays. Usually, the adhesivity of cells is tuned by an appropriate biocompatible layer. Here, synthetic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), natural chitosan, and heparin (existing in an extracellular matrix) were selected to assembly PDADMAC/heparin and chitosan/heparin films. The physicochemical properties of macroion multilayers were determined by streaming potential measurements (SPM), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D), and optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS). The topography of the wet films was imaged using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The adhesion of preosteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 on those well-characterized polysaccharide-based multilayers was evaluated using a resonant waveguide grating (RWG) based optical biosensor and digital holographic microscopy. The latter method was engaged to investigate long-term cellular behavior on the fabricated multilayers. (PDADMAC/heparin) films were proved to be the most effective in inducing cellular adhesion. The cell attachment to chitosan/heparin-based multilayers was negligible. It was found that efficient adhesion of the cells occurs onto homogeneous and rigid multilayers (PDADMAC/heparin), whereas the macroion films forming "sponge-like" structures (chitosan/heparin) are less effective, and could be employed when reduced adhesion is needed. Polysaccharide-based multilayers can be considered versatile systems for medical applications. One can postulate that the presented results are relevant not only for modeling studies but also for applied research.

Simple and automatic monitoring of cancer cell invasion into an epithelial monolayer using label-free holographic microscopy

The invasiveness of cancer cells describes the metastasizing capability of a primary tumor. The straightforward detection and quantification of cancer cell invasion are important to predict the survival rate of a cancer patient and to test how anti-cancer compounds influence cancer progression. Digital holographic microscopy based M4 Holomonitor (HM) is a technique that allows the label-free monitoring of cell morphological and kinetical parameters in real-time. Here, a fully confluent epithelial monolayer derived from the African green monkey kidney (Vero) on a gelatin-coated surface was established, then HeLa cells were seeded on top of the monolayer, and their behavior was monitored for 24 h using HM. Several cancer cells showing invasiveness were detected during this period, while other HeLa cells did not show any signs of aggressivity. It was demonstrated that the invasion of single cancer cells is soundly observable and also quantifiable through monitoring parameters such as phase shift, optical volume, area, and motility, which parameters can easily be obtained and processed automatically. Based on the experimental data, the invasion speed of cancer cells entering the epithelial layer can be defined as the shrinking of detected single-cell volume per unit time. The invasion speed and its correlation with cell migration parameters were analyzed in depth. A clear linear relationship between migration and invasion speed was found, cancer cells with stronger migration have slower invasion speed. These results not only describe the effect of how cancer cells invade the underlying monolayer in contrast to non-invasive HeLa cells, but could help in future research to optimize drugs affecting cell invasibility in a fully automated, label-free and high-throughput manner.

Review of Label-Free Monitoring of Bacteria: From Challenging Practical Applications to Basic Research Perspectives

Novel biosensors already provide a fast way to detect the adhesion of whole bacteria (or parts of them), biofilm formation, and the effect of antibiotics. Moreover, the detection sensitivities of recent sensor technologies are large enough to investigate molecular-scale biological processes. Usually, these measurements can be performed in real time without using labeling. Despite these excellent capabilities summarized in the present work, the application of novel, label-free sensor technologies in basic biological research is still rare; the literature is dominated by heuristic work, mostly monitoring the presence and amount of a given analyte. The aims of this review are (i) to give an overview of the present status of label-free biosensors in bacteria monitoring, and (ii) to summarize potential novel directions with biological relevancies to initiate future development. Optical, mechanical, and electrical sensing technologies are all discussed with their detailed capabilities in bacteria monitoring. In order to review potential future applications of the outlined techniques in bacteria research, we summarize the most important kinetic processes relevant to the adhesion and survival of bacterial cells. These processes are potential targets of kinetic investigations employing modern label-free technologies in order to reveal new fundamental aspects. Resistance to antibacterials and to other antimicrobial agents, the most important biological mechanisms in bacterial adhesion and strategies to control adhesion, as well as bacteria-mammalian host cell interactions are all discussed with key relevancies to the future development and applications of biosensors.

Natural Compounds as Target Biomolecules in Cellular Adhesion and Migration: From Biomolecular Stimulation to Label-Free Discovery and Bioactivity-Based Isolation

Plants and fungi can be used for medical applications because of their accumulation of special bioactive metabolites. These substances might be beneficial to human health, exerting also anti-inflammatory and anticancer (antiproliferative) effects. We propose that they are mediated by influencing cellular adhesion and migration via various signaling pathways and by directly inactivating key cell adhesion surface receptor sites. The evidence for this proposition is reviewed (by summarizing the natural metabolites and their effects influencing cellular adhesion and migration), along with the classical measuring techniques used to gain such evidence. We systematize existing knowledge concerning the mechanisms of how natural metabolites affect adhesion and movement, and their role in gene expression as well. We conclude by highlighting the possibilities to screen natural compounds faster and more easily by applying new label-free methods, which also enable a far greater degree of quantification than the conventional methods used hitherto. We have systematically classified recent studies regarding the effects of natural compounds on cellular adhesion and movement, characterizing the active substances according to their organismal origin (plants, animals or fungi). Finally, we also summarize the results of recent studies and experiments on SARS-CoV-2 treatments by natural extracts affecting mainly the adhesion and entry of the virus.

Single-cell adhesion strength and contact density drops in the M phase of cancer cells

The high throughput, cost effective and sensitive quantification of cell adhesion strength at the single-cell level is still a challenging task. The adhesion force between tissue cells and their environment is crucial in all multicellular organisms. Integrins transmit force between the intracellular cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. This force is not only a mechanical interaction but a way of signal transduction as well. For instance, adhesion-dependent cells switch to an apoptotic mode in the lack of adhesion forces. Adhesion of tumor cells is a potential therapeutic target, as it is actively modulated during tissue invasion and cell release to the bloodstream resulting in metastasis. We investigated the integrin-mediated adhesion between cancer cells and their RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) motif displaying biomimetic substratum using the HeLa cell line transfected by the Fucci fluorescent cell cycle reporter construct. We employed a computer-controlled micropipette and a high spatial resolution label-free resonant waveguide grating-based optical sensor calibrated to adhesion force and energy at the single-cell level. We found that the overall adhesion strength of single cancer cells is approximately constant in all phases except the mitotic (M) phase with a significantly lower adhesion. Single-cell evanescent field based biosensor measurements revealed that at the mitotic phase the cell material mass per unit area inside the cell-substratum contact zone is significantly less, too. Importantly, the weaker mitotic adhesion is not simply a direct consequence of the measured smaller contact area. Our results highlight these differences in the mitotic reticular adhesions and confirm that cell adhesion is a promising target of selective cancer drugs as the vast majority of normal, differentiated tissue cells do not enter the M phase and do not divide.

Surveilling cellular vital signs: toward label-free biosensors and real-time viability assays for bioprocessing

Cell viability is an essential facet of mammalian and microbial bioprocessing. While robust methods of monitoring cellular health remain critically important to biomanufacturing and biofabrication, the complexity of advanced cell culture platforms often poses challenges for conventional viability assays. This review surveys novel approaches to discern the metabolic, morphological, and mechanistic hallmarks of living systems - spanning subcellular and multicellular scales. While fluorescent probes coupled with 3D image analysis generate rapid results with spatiotemporal detail, molecular techniques like viability PCR can distinguish live cells with genetic specificity. Notably, label-free biosensors can detect nuanced attributes of cellular vital signs with single-cell resolution via optical, acoustic, and electrical signals. Ultimately, efforts to integrate these modalities with automation, machine learning, and high-throughput workflows will lead to exciting new vistas across the cell viability landscape.

Data evaluation for surface-sensitive label-free methods to obtain real-time kinetic and structural information of thin films: A practical review with related software packages

Interfacial layers are important in a wide range of applications in biomedicine, biosensing, analytical chemistry and the maritime industries. Given the growing number of applications, analysis of such layers and understanding their behavior is becoming crucial. Label-free surface sensitive methods are excellent for monitoring the formation kinetics, structure and its evolution of thin layers, even at the nanoscale. In this paper, we review existing and commercially available label-free techniques and demonstrate how the experimentally obtained data can be utilized to extract kinetic and structural information during and after formation, and any subsequent adsorption/desorption processes. We outline techniques, some traditional and some novel, based on the principles of optical and mechanical transduction. Our special focus is the current possibilities of combining label-free methods, which is a powerful approach to extend the range of detected and deduced parameters. We summarize the most important theoretical considerations for obtaining reliable information from measurements taking place in liquid environments and, hence, with layers in a hydrated state. A thorough treamtmaent of the various kinetic and structural quantities obtained from evaluation of the raw label-free data are provided. Such quantities include layer thickness, refractive index, optical anisotropy (and molecular orientation derived therefrom), degree of hydration, viscoelasticity, as well as association and dissociation rate constants and occupied area of subsequently adsorbed species. To demonstrate the effect of variations in model conditions on the observed data, simulations of kinetic curves at various model settings are also included. Based on our own extensive experience with optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) and the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), we have developed dedicated software packages for data analysis, which are made available to the scientific community alongside this paper.

Label-free real-time monitoring of the BCR-triggered activation of primary human B cells modulated by the simultaneous engagement of inhibitory receptors

Today, there is an intense demand for lab-on-a-chip and tissue-on-a-chip applications in basic cell biological research and medical diagnostics. A particular challenge is the implementation of advanced biosensor techniques in point-of-care testing utilizing human primary cells. In this study, a resonant waveguide grating (RWG)-based label-free optical biosensor technique has been applied for real-time monitoring of the integrated responses of primary human tonsillar B cells initiated by B cell receptor (BCR) and modified by FcγRIIb and CR1 engagement. The BCR-triggered biosensor responses of resting and activated B cells were revealed to be specific and dose-dependent, in some cases with strong donor dependency. Targeted inhibition of Syk attenuated the label-free biosensor response upon BCR stimulation. Indifferent protein human serum albumin (HSA) did not interfere with the recorded signal to BCR stimulation. Simultaneous engagement of BCR and FcγRIIb modulated the kinetic signal of the cells. Activated and resting B cells exhibited different response profiles upon simultaneous engagement of BCR and CR1. This advanced approach has the potential to decipher interfering signaling events in human B cells, manage differences between activated and resting B cell states, helping to understand the actual integrated response of these immune cells, and could be useful in the point-of-care diagnostic testing on human primary cells.

Label-free tracking of whole-cell response on RGD functionalized surfaces to varied flow velocities generated by fluidic rotation

Fluidic flow plays important roles in colloid and interface sciences. Measuring adsorption, aggregation processes and living cell behavior under a fluidic environment with varied flow velocities in a parallel and high-throughput manner remains to be a challenging task. Here a method is introduced to monitor cell response to well-defined flow with varied velocities over an array of label-free resonant waveguide grating (RWG) based optical biosensors. The arrangement consists of a circular well with an array of biosensors at the bottom surface. By rotating the liquid over the biosensor array using a magnetic stirrer bar, flow velocities from zero to a predefined maximum can be easily established over different locations within the biosensor array as characterized in detail by numerical simulations. Cell adhesion and detachment measurements on an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide functionalized surface were performed to demonstrate i) measurements at a wide range of simultaneous flow velocities over the same interface; ii) the possibility of parallel measurements at the same flow conditions in one run; and iii) the simple tuning of the employed range of flow velocities. Our setup made it possible to analyze the magnitude and rate of cell detachment at various flow velocities in parallel and determine the critical velocity and force where cells start to detach from the RGD motif displaying biomimetic surface. Furthermore, cellular response to simultaneous mechanical (flow) and chemical stimulation was also investigated using trypsin as a model. This study opens a new possibility to investigate interface phenomena under predefined and conveniently varied flow conditions.

Evaluating cell viability heterogeneity based on information fusion of multiple adhesion strengths

Cell viability evaluation is significantly meaningful for cellular assays. Some cells with weak viability are easily killed in the detection of anticancer drugs, while others with strong viability survive and proliferate, ultimately leading to the treatment failure or the inaccuracy of biological assays. Accurately evaluating cell viability heterogeneity still remains difficult. This article proposed a multiphysical property information fusion method for evaluating cell viability heterogeneity based on polynomial regression in a single-channel integrated microfluidic chip. In this method, adhesion strengths τ_N , that are defined as the magnitude of shear stress needed to detach (100 - N) % of cell population, were extracted as the independent variables of polynomial regression model by calculating the nonlinear fitting of the impedance-response curves for shear stress (cell detachment assay). Besides, by calculating the nonlinear fitting of the drug dose-response curves for cancer cells (IC₅₀ assay), the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀ ) was extracted as the dependent variables of polynomial regression model. The results show that the mean relative error of our fusion method averagely reduces by 6.04% and 62.79% compared with the multiple linear regression method and the cell counting method. Moreover, a simplified theoretical model used to describe the quantitative relationship between cell viability and its adhesion strengths was built to provide a theoretical basis for our fusion method.

Glycocalyx regulates the strength and kinetics of cancer cell adhesion revealed by biophysical models based on high resolution label-free optical data

The glycocalyx is thought to perform a potent, but not yet defined function in cellular adhesion and signaling. Since 95% of cancer cells have altered glycocalyx structure, this role can be especially important in cancer development and metastasis. The glycocalyx layer of cancer cells directly influences cancer progression, involving the complicated kinetic process of cellular adhesion at various levels. In the present work, we investigated the effect of enzymatic digestion of specific glycocalyx components on cancer cell adhesion to RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) peptide motif displaying surfaces. High resolution kinetic data of cell adhesion was recorded by the surface sensitive label-free resonant waveguide grating (RWG) biosensor, supported by fluorescent staining of the cells and cell surface charge measurements. We found that intense removal of chondroitin sulfate (CS) and dermatan sulfate chains by chondroitinase ABC reduced the speed and decreased the strength of adhesion of HeLa cells. In contrast, mild digestion of glycocalyx resulted in faster and stronger adhesion. Control experiments on a healthy and another cancer cell line were also conducted, and the discrepancies were analysed. We developed a biophysical model which was fitted to the kinetic data of HeLa cells. Our analysis suggests that the rate of integrin receptor transport to the adhesion zone and integrin-RGD binding is strongly influenced by the presence of glycocalyx components, but the integrin-RGD dissociation is not. Moreover, based on the kinetic data we calculated the dependence of the dissociation constant of integrin-RGD binding on the enzyme concentration. We also determined the dissociation constant using a 2D receptor binding model based on saturation level static data recorded at surfaces with tuned RGD densities. We analyzed the discrepancies of the kinetic and static dissociation constants, further illuminating the role of cancer cell glycocalyx during the adhesion process. Altogether, our experimental results and modelling demonstrated that the chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate chains of glycocalyx have an important regulatory function during the cellular adhesion process, mainly controlling the kinetics of integrin transport and integrin assembly into mature adhesion sites. Our results potentially open the way for novel type of cancer treatments affecting these regulatory mechanisms of cellular glycocalyx.

A short review on cell-based biosensing: challenges and breakthroughs in biomedical analysis

Current cell-based biosensors have progressed substantially from mere alternatives to molecular bioreceptors into enabling tools for interfacing molecular machineries and gene circuits with microelectronics and for developing groundbreaking sensing and theragnostic platforms. The recent literature concerning whole-cell biosensors is reviewed with an emphasis on mammalian cells, and the challenges and breakthroughs brought along in biomedical analyses through novel biosensing concepts and the synthetic biology toolbox. These recent innovations allow development of cell-based biosensing platforms having tailored performances and capable to reach the levels of sensitivity, dynamic range, and stability suitable for high analytic/medical relevance. They also pave the way for the construction of flexible biosensing platforms with utility across biological research and clinical applications. The work is intended to stimulate interest in generation of cell-based biosensors and improve their acceptance and exploitation.

Single-cell adhesion force kinetics of cell populations from combined label-free optical biosensor and robotic fluidic force microscopy

Single-cell adhesion force plays a crucial role in biological sciences, however its in-depth investigation is hindered by the extremely low throughput and the lack of temporal resolution of present techniques. While atomic force microcopy (AFM) based methods are capable of directly measuring the detachment force values between individual cells and a substrate, their throughput is limited to few cells per day, and cannot provide the kinetic evaluation of the adhesion force over the timescale of several hours. In this study a high spatial and temporal resolution resonant waveguide grating based label-free optical biosensor was combined with robotic fluidic force microscopy to monitor the adhesion of living cancer cells. In contrast to traditional fluidic force microscopy methods with a manipulation range in the order of 300-400 micrometers, the robotic device employed here can address single cells over mm-cm scale areas. This feature significantly increased measurement throughput, and opened the way to combine the technology with the employed microplate-based, large area biosensor. After calibrating the biosensor signals with the direct force measuring technology on 30 individual cells, the kinetic evaluation of the adhesion force and energy of large cell populations was performed for the first time. We concluded that the distribution of the single-cell adhesion force and energy can be fitted by log-normal functions as cells are spreading on the surface and revealed the dynamic changes in these distributions. The present methodology opens the way for the quantitative assessment of the kinetics of single-cell adhesion force and energy with an unprecedented throughput and time resolution, in a completely non-invasive manner.

Oxidization increases the binding of EGCG to serum albumin revealed by kinetic data from label-free optical biosensor with reference channel

Schematic illustration of the biosensor to measure the EGCG–BSA interaction and the concentration dependent bound amount of EGCG and oxidized EGCG.

An Evaluation Approach of Cell Viability Based on Cell Detachment Assay in a Single-Channel Integrated Microfluidic Chip

Due to the heterogeneity of cancer cell populations, the traditional evaluation approach of cell viability based on the cell counting assay is quite inaccurate for the dose-response test of anticancer drugs, cell toxicology assays, and other biochemical stimulations. In this paper, an evaluation approach of cell viability based on the cell detachment assay in a single-channel integrated microfluidic chip is proposed to improve the accuracy of cell viability assessment. The electrodes are coated by fibronectin for specific cell adhesion, and it is biologically significant to study the cell detachment assay in vitro. The maximum number of cells that can be detected by this sensor is about 10⁵ cells (overgrowing), while the minimum is about 100 cells. This method is calibrated with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration assay, and the results show that the cell viability calculated by adhesion strength is more accurate than that evaluated using the cell counting assay. Meanwhile, the shear rate is transformed into shear stress for the comparability among the results in other papers. The most sensitive frequency is also determined as 1 kHz according to normalized impedance. Besides, the impedance of cell adhesion affected by different shear stresses is monitored to study the optimized plan for long-term culture of cells in the integrated microfluidic chip prepared for the cell detachment assay. Adhesion strength τ₂₅, which is the magnitude of shear stress needed to detach 75% of cell population, is introduced to describe the cell adhesion forces. It is calculated and normalized based on the cell detachment assay to evaluate cell viability. The relative errors of the cell detachment method compared with those of the cell counting method decrease by 0.637 (0% FBS), 0.586 (0.5% FBS), and 0.342 (2% FBS).

A practical review on the measurement tools for cellular adhesion force

Cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions are fundamental in all multicellular organisms. They play a key role in cellular growth, differentiation, pattern formation and migration. Cell-cell adhesion is substantial in the immune response, pathogen-host interactions, and tumor development. The success of tissue engineering and stem cell implantations strongly depends on the fine control of live cell adhesion on the surface of natural or biomimetic scaffolds. Therefore, the quantitative and precise measurement of the adhesion strength of living cells is critical, not only in basic research but in modern technologies, too. Several techniques have been developed or are under development to quantify cell adhesion. All of them have their pros and cons, which has to be carefully considered before the experiments and interpretation of the recorded data. Current review provides a guide to choose the appropriate technique to answer a specific biological question or to complete a biomedical test by measuring cell adhesion.

Proliferation of Cells with Severe Nuclear Deformation on a Micropillar Array

Cellular responses on a topographic surface are fundamental topics about interfaces and biology. Herein, a poly(lactide- co-glycolide) (PLGA) micropillar array was prepared and found to trigger significant self-deformation of cell nuclei. The time-dependent cell viability and thus cell proliferation was investigated. Despite significant nuclear deformation, all of the examined cell types (Hela, HepG2, MC3T3-E1, and NIH3T3) could survive and proliferate on the micropillar array yet exhibited different proliferation abilities. Compared to the corresponding groups on the smooth surface, the cell proliferation abilities on the micropillar array were decreased for Hela and MC3T3-E1 cells and did not change significantly for HepG2 and NIH3T3 cells. We also found that whether the proliferation ability changed was related to whether the nuclear sizes decreased in the micropillar array, and thus the size deformation of cell nuclei should, besides shape deformation, be taken into consideration in studies of cells on topological surfaces.