3D Reduced Graphene Oxide Scaffolds with a Combinatorial Fibrous-Porous Architecture for Neural Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) assists a diverse set of promising routes to build bioactive neural microenvironments by easily interacting with other biomaterials to enhance their bulk features or, alternatively, self-assembling toward the construction of biocompatible systems with specific three-dimensional (3D) geometries. Herein, we first modulate both size and available oxygen groups in GO nanosheets to adjust the physicochemical and biological properties of polycaprolactone–gelatin electrospun nanofibrous systems. The results show that the incorporation of customized GO nanosheets modulates the properties of the nanofibers and, subsequently, markedly influences the viability of neural progenitor cell cultures. Interestingly, the partially reduced GO (rGO) nanosheets with larger dimensions trigger the best cell response, while the rGO nanosheets with smaller size provoke an accentuated decrease in the cytocompatibility of the resulting electrospun meshes. Then, the most auspicious nanofibers are synergistically accommodated onto the surface of 3D-rGO heterogeneous porous networks, giving rise to fibrous-porous combinatorial architectures suitable for enhancing adhesion and differentiation of neural cells. By varying the chemical composition of the nanofibers, it is possible to adapt their performance as physical crosslinkers for the rGO sheets, leading to the modulation of both pore size and structural/mechanical integrity of the scaffold. Importantly, the biocompatibility of the resultant fibrous-porous systems is not compromised after 14 days of cell culture, including standard differentiation patterns of neural progenitor cells. Overall, in light of these in vitro results, the reported scaffolding approach presents not only an indisputable capacity to support highly viable and interconnected neural circuits but also the potential to unlock novel strategies for neural tissue engineering applications.

Benefits in the Macrophage Response Due to Graphene Oxide Reduction by Thermal Treatment

“…Additionally, a notable decrease in sheet size upon reduction could be observed. This is consistent with previous observations on reduced GO, even with different reduction methods, such as a chemical one via hydrazine [34]. Additionally, compared to the more flatlike morphology of GO, both rGO15 and rGO30 sheets exhibited some crumpling.…”

“…Our results demonstrate that GO reduction reduced its ability to induce the synthesis and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, significantly improving its biocompatibility. GBM shows great promise for biomedical applications and can be designed with different configurations such as nanosheets, nanoparticles, 2D films, and 3D scaffolds [26,34,59]. The GO and rGO nanostructures evaluated in this study are potentially useful GBM shows great promise for biomedical applications and can be designed with different configurations such as nanosheets, nanoparticles, 2D films, and 3D scaffolds [26,34,59].…”

“…GBM shows great promise for biomedical applications and can be designed with different configurations such as nanosheets, nanoparticles, 2D films, and 3D scaffolds [26,34,59]. The GO and rGO nanostructures evaluated in this study are potentially useful GBM shows great promise for biomedical applications and can be designed with different configurations such as nanosheets, nanoparticles, 2D films, and 3D scaffolds [26,34,59]. The GO and rGO nanostructures evaluated in this study are potentially useful for the preparation of scaffolds for tissue regeneration after assessing the effects that these components could have if they are released during implant degradation once they have been introduced into the body.…”

Nanocarbon-Iridium Oxide Nanostructured Hybrids as Large Charge Capacity Electrostimulation Electrodes for Neural Repair

“…Surface exchange effects may be modified by enhancing surface area, and so three-dimensional scaffolds have been created based on carbon-based structures such as graphene oxide or reduced graphene oxide [ 17 ]. These 3D structures allow growth and vascularization through them, and may reach eventually a good electrical connection that allows stimulation.…”

Applications of nanomaterials in tissue engineering

“…(b) GO-based scaffolds for neural repair. Reprinted with permission,105 Copyright (2020) American Chemical Society.…”