Neurite outgrowth and synaptophysin expression of postnatal CNS neurons on GaP nanowire arrays in long-term retinal cell culture

Abstract

We have established long-term cultures of postnatal retinal cells on arrays of gallium phosphide nanowires of different geometries. Rod and cone photoreceptors, ganglion cells and bipolar cells survived on the substrates for at least 18 days in vitro. Glial cells were also observed, but these did not overgrow the neuronal population. On nanowires, neurons extended numerous long and branched neurites that expressed the synaptic vesicle marker synaptophysin. The longest nanowires (4 μm long) allowed a greater attachment and neurite elongation and our analysis suggests that the length of the nanowire per se and/or the adsorption of biomolecules on the nanowires may have been important factors regulating the observed cell behavior. The study thus shows that CNS neurons are amenable to gallium phosphide nanowires, probably as they create conditions that more closely resemble those encountered in the in vivo environment. These findings suggest that gallium phosphide nanowires may be considered as a material of interest when improving existing or designing the next generation of implantable devices. The features of gallium phosphide nanowires can be precisely controlled, making them suitable for this purpose.

Transfer of vertical nanowire arrays on polycaprolactone substrates for biological applications

“…The cell density is significantly lower on long nanowires on GaP substrates compared to on plain PCL substrates. This contrasts with the results of previous studies showing that nanostructures promote PC12 adhesion and growth [33,34] and that various nanowires have been shown to promote neuron attachment and growth, even compared to standard culture dishes [19,35]. The cell density is higher on long nanowires transferred in PCL compared to when cultured on long nanowires on GaP substrates.…”

“…Many studies, both in-vitro and in-vivo, have demonstrated that nanowires are a promising tool for neural implant applications. In-vitro, nanowire arrays have been shown to promote neuronal adhesion and neurite outgrowth to an exceptional extend, while glial cell proliferation has been shown to be limited on these substrates [14,16,19,25]. Nanowire arrays have also been shown to enable simultaneous, multiple cellular signal measurements with great sensitivity in cultures [8,[26][27][28].…”

“…Semiconductor nanowire arrays are used in a growing number of bio-applications ranging from biosensing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], tuning cellular growth and adhesion [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], to transfecting cells [22,23]. A particularly promising application would consist of using nanowires to improve current neural implants, which are limited by the formation of a scar around the implant electrodes [24].…”

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Effects of BDNF-Transfected BMSCs on Neural Functional Recovery and Synaptophysin Expression in Rats with Cerebral Infarction

“…During the process of CI, the number of apoptotic nerve cells increased significantly, the synapse structure disintegrated, the axon terminals transformed and lost, and the neuron metabolism and protein synthesis ability decreased, and thus the synaptophysin decreased [27]. Synaptophysin could better reflect the nervous system plasticity of ischemic injury and restored synaptophysin expression indicated the recovery of CI [28,29].…”

An SU-8-based microprobe with a nanostructured surface enhances neuronal cell attachment and growth

“…Therefore, Rough surfaces, especially nanostructured surfaces, maintain neuron viability more effectively than smooth surfaces, presumably because the former mimic the extracellular matrix [8,9]. Various nanostructured surfaces-such as nanowire arrays [10,11], nanopatterned poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) [12], and a nanoporous gold (np-Au) substrate [13]-increased neuronal growth compared with that on a flat surface. The morphology of np-Au selectively reduces astrocyte surface coverage while maintaining neuronal surface coverage, similar to unstructured planar gold surfaces [14].…”