One-dimensional acoustic potential landscapes guide the neurite outgrowth and affect the viability of B35 neuroblastoma cells

On the way towards neuronal stimulation and signalling, standing surface acoustic waves (SSAW) have become a widely used technique to create well-defined networks of living cells in vitro during the past years. An overall challenge in this research area is to maintain cell viability in long-term treatments long enough to observe changes in cellular functions. To close this gap, we here investigate SSAW-directed neurite outgrowth of B35 (neuroblastoma) cells in microchannels on LiNbO3 chips, employing one-dimensional pulsed and continuous MHz-order SSAW signals at different intensities for up to 40 hours. To increase the efficiency of future investigations, we explore the limits of applicable SSAW parameters by quantifying their viability and proliferation behaviour in this long-term setup. While cell viability is impaired for power levels above 15 dBm (32 mW), our investigations on SSAW-directed neurite outgrowth reveal a significant increase of neurites growing in preferential directions by up to 31.3 % after 30 hours of SSAW treatment.