3D graphene oxide-encapsulated gold nanoparticles to detect neural stem cell differentiation

Abstract

Monitoring of stem cell differentiation and pluripotency is an important step for the practical use of stem cells in the field of regenerative medicine. Hence, a new non-destructive detection tool capable of in situ monitoring of stem cell differentiation is highly needed. In this study, we report a 3D graphene oxide-encapsulated gold nanoparticle that is very effective for the detection of the differentiation potential of neural stem cells (NSCs) based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A new material, 3D GO-encapsulated gold nanoparticle, is developed to induce the double enhancement effect of graphene oxide and gold nanoparticle on SERS signals which is only effective for undifferentiated NSCs. The Raman peaks achieved from undifferentiated NSCs on the graphene oxide (GO)-encapsulated gold nanoparticles were 3.5 times higher than peaks obtained from normal metal structures and were clearly distinguishable from those of differentiated cells. The number of C=C bonds and the raman instensity at 1656cm−1 was found to show a positive correlation, which matches the differentiation state of the NSCs. Moreover, the substrate composed of 3D GO-encapsulated gold nanoparticles was also effective at distinguishing the differentiation state of single NSC by using electrochemical and electrical techniques. Hence, the proposed technique can be used as a powerful non-destructive in situ monitoring tool for the identification of the differentiation potential of various kinds of stem cells (mesenchymal, hematopoietic, and neural stem cells).

Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Graphene–Nanoparticle Hybrid Materials for Bioapplications

“…A graphene–nanoparticle platform based on SERS detection was recently shown to be an effective and highly sensitive tool that could distinguish undifferentiated and differentiated stem cells, while maintaining cell viability. 245 In particular, GO-encapsulated AuNP films were generated on ITO surfaces, followed by use for the culture of mouse NSCs. On the basis of several reports, undifferentiated stem cells have been found to contain molecules bearing a high number of C=C bonds (high degree of saturation) as compared to differentiated cells.…”

Electrical Impedance Monitoring of C2C12 Myoblast Differentiation on an Indium Tin Oxide Electrode

“…We previously reported the electrical impedance characterization of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) growth [29], hMSC differentiation into adipocytes [30], osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs [31], neural differentiation of hMSCs [32], adipose tissue-derived stem cell (ADSC) growth [33], and senescence of ADSCs [34]. Additionally, the effect of the electrode material and structure patterned by nanoparticles [35], graphene [36], or a mixture of nanoparticles and graphene [37] on stem cell differentiation was investigated. Our experiments in which we measured the electrochemical signals of differentiated or undifferentiated stem cells showed that the electrochemical signature can be used to quantify the pluripotency of the stem cells [38,39].…”

Guiding Stem Cell Differentiation into Oligodendrocytes Using Graphene‐Nanofiber Hybrid Scaffolds

“…Graphene-based nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide (GO), have recently gained considerable interest for tissue engineering applications due to their favorable chemical, electrical and mechanical properties. [9] Besides serving as a highly elastic and flexible structural reinforcement, substrates coated with GO have been demonstrated to promote the growth and differentiation of various stem cell lines including induced PSCs, MSCs and NSCs. [10] Based on these considerations, we demonstrate the use of GO as an effective coating material in combination with electrospun nanofibers for the selective differentiation of NSCs into oligodendrocytes.…”