Carbon Nanotube Polymer Scaffolds as a Conductive Alternative for the Construction of Retinal Sheet Tissue

Abstract

With the great success of graphene in the biomedical field, carbon nanotubes have attracted increasing attention for different applications in ophthalmology. Here, we report a novel retinal sheet composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) that can enhance retinal cell therapy. By tuning our CNTs to regulate the mechanical characteristics of retina sheets, we were able to improve the in vitro viability of retinal ganglion cells derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells incorporated into CNTs. Engrafted retinal ganglion cells displayed signs of regenerating processes along the optic nerve. Compared with PLGA scaffolds, CNT-PLGA retinal sheet tissue has excellent electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, and biodegradation. This new biomaterial offers new insight into retinal injury, repair, and regeneration.

Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Materials: Efficient and Pertinent Platforms for Antifungal Drug Delivery

“…CNT‐based scaffolds and bio‐scaffolds (CNTs combined with polymethyl methacrylate resin matrix) have excellent biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, mechanical strength (up to 1 TPa tensile strength up to 100 GPa, Young's modulus) and biodegradability properties can help in tissue engineering for stem cell proliferation and differentiation applications. [ 75 ] MWCNT‐containing electrospun nanofiber scaffolds in rats showed outstanding peripheral nerve cell regeneration capabilities. [ 76 ] CNT‐based scaffolds can be formulated by combining CNT with natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and calcium phosphate and extensively reported and explored in numerous tissue engineering applications such as tumor (self‐assembling peptide‐CNT), [ 77 ] retinal (CNT/poly d , l ,‐lactic‐ co ‐glycolic acid scaffold), [ 75 ] bone (CNT/carboxymethyl/chitosan hydrogel), [ 78 ] myocardial, neural (CNT/chitosan/polyethylene glycol (PEG)), [ 79 ] cartilage (polycaprolactone/chitosan/CNT) tissue engineering.…”

Nanomaterials supported by polymers for tissue engineering applications: A review

“…A novel study in the field of retinal nerve regeneration using a conductive poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/CNTs scaffold. The biodegradability, biocompatibility, and electrical conductivity of scaffold containing CNTs are significantly higher than those of neat PLGA, which resulted in the growth and differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into retinal ganglion cells (RGC) ( Yang et al., 2021 ). Hong-Sun et al.…”

Modelling of Stem Cells Microenvironment Using Carbon-Based Scaffold for Tissue Engineering Application—A Review

“…It also supported BV2 cells and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Plus, the scaffold promoted hiPSCs differentiation into retinal ganglion cells [ 173 ].…”