Ultrasonication effects on graphene composites in neural cell cultures

Abstract

Spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injuries, remain challenging to treat. Nowadays, neural stem cell therapies excite high expectations within academia. The increasing demand for innovative solutions in regenerative medicine has drawn considerable attention to graphene materials. Due to unique properties, carbon materials are increasingly used as cellular scaffolds. They provide a biological microenvironment supporting cell adhesion and proliferation. The topography and mechanical properties of the graphene culture surface influence the forces exerted by the cells on their extracellular matrix. Which consequently affects the cell proliferation and differentiation. As a result, material properties such as stiffness, elasticity and mechanical strength play an important role in stem cells’ growth and life. The ink unification process is crucial while the layer homogeneity is essential for obtaining suitable surface for specific cell growth. Different ink unification processes were tested to achieve appropriate layer homogeneity and resistivity to successfully applied the GNPs layers in neural cell electrostimulation. The GNP coatings were then used to electrostimulate mouse NE-4C neural stem cells. In this study, the authors investigated how the stimulation voltage amplitude’s value affects cell behaviour, particularly the number of cells. Sinusoidal alternating current was used for stimulation. Three different values of stimulation voltage amplitude were investigated: 5, 10, and 15 V. It was noticed that a lower stimulation voltage amplitude had the most favourable effect on the stem cell count.

Biomedical application of 2D nanomaterials in neuroscience

“…There may be a mechanism by which graphene was capable of transmitting electrical stimulation signals and stimulating neuronal differentiation and extension. A recent study found that graphene substrates as cell scaffolds with appropriate electrical stimulation can dramatically increase the number of cells [ 6 ]. Supporting cell adhesion and promoting cell proliferation were the main mechanisms by which graphene substrates work [ 99 ], showing great potential in regenerative medicine.…”

“…GBNs can also induce the behavior of neural cells. Graphene substrates have been shown to support neural cell adhesion, which in turn promotes cell reproduction [ 6 ]. Similarly, Wang et al found that the number of nerve regeneration factors secreted by neural cells cultured on silk-graphene hybrid hydrogel was significantly increased, and the axon length and proportion of cells also increased slightly [ 104 ].…”

“…Since rGO-MFs had no subacute local toxicity, an experimental rat model of SCI after 4 months of implantation was used to assess their ability to regenerate neural tissue, suggesting that rGO-MF-based scaffolds may promote axonal and vascular regeneration in injured spinal cords. The ability of GO carrying drugs to promote nerve damage repair may be related to the accuracy of graphene providing a better conductivity as well as more accurate drug targets [ 165 ].…”

“…The nervous system is difficult to repair and regenerate, which is vulnerable to be permanently damaged from injury and disease. The 2D nanomaterials have unique physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility to modulate proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells [ 6 – 9 ]. Therefore, the application of 2D nanomaterials opens up new therapeutic approaches for neural repair and regeneration.…”

Advances in graphene-based nanoplatforms and their application in Parkinson's disease

“…Dybowska-Sarapuk et al demonstrated that using GBNs as cellular scaffolds to electrostimulate mouse NE-4C neural stem cells promoted their suitable development. 97 Fang et al focused on the metabolomics of neural stem cells (NCSs) induced by culturing on 3DG foam. The authors established a correlation between metabolic reconfiguration and the proliferation rate of NSCs on a different scaffold.…”