Biocompatibility of pristine graphene monolayer: Scaffold for fibroblasts

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of pristine graphene monolayer and its utility as a scaffold for murine fibroblast L929 cell line. Cell viability, morphology, cytoskeleton architecture (microfilaments and microtubules), cell adhesion and migration into the scratch-wound area were determined using pristine graphene-coated microscopic slides. We found that fibroblasts cultured on pristine graphene monolayer exhibited changes in cell attachment, motility and cytoskeleton organization. Graphene was found to have no cytotoxicity on L929 fibroblasts and increased cell adhesion and proliferation within 24 h of culture. The area of cells growing on graphene was comparable to the area of fibroblasts cultured on glass. Migration of cells on the surface of graphene substrate appeared to be more regular in comparison to uncoated glass surface, however in both control (glass) and experimental (graphene) groups the scratch wound was closed after 48 h of culture. Taken together, our results indicate that pristine graphene monolayer is non-toxic for murine subcutaneous connective tissue fibroblasts and could be beneficial for recovery of damaged tissues after injury. These studies could be helpful in evaluating biocompatibility of graphene, which still remains ambiguous.

Graphenic Materials for Biomedical Applications

“…Pristine single-layer GR cytotoxicity, as well as the possibility of its application for the scaffold preparation for the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line, was studied in [79] by observing cell viability, cell adhesion, morphology, cytoskeleton architecture, and movement to the scratch-wound area. It was confirmed that GR was not cytotoxic for the L929 cell line and conversely enhanced the adhesion of cells and their proliferation within 24 h [79]. GBMs have a number of outstanding properties which make them very suitable materials for regenerative medicine, especially for growth of stem cells, such as their proliferation and differentiation ability.…”

<p>The effects of graphene and mesenchymal stem cells in cutaneous wound healing and their putative action mechanism</p>

“…Graphene films can be transferred onto a wide range of substrates 53,55 and are used in both physics 69 and biology (eg, surfaces for cell growth). 70 While graphene solutions, in which graphene flakes and sheets are formed, are employed in the majority of toxicological studies 65,68,[71][72][73] involving the dispersion of graphene in biological fluids, much less attention has been devoted to the biocompatibility of graphene in the form of a monolayer 63,70,[74][75][76] which can be used as a scaffold for the…”

“…The extracellular parts of integrins bind to the ECM, their integral parts anchor integrin into the cell membrane and their intracellular parts bind to the focal adhesion proteins thus forming a physical link between the ECM and the actin cytoskeletal network. 63,82,83 Focal complexes that connect cells with the external environment are crucial for the functioning of cellular processes and mechanisms such as mechano-sensoring, spreading, cell migration and proliferation. 84 The focal adhesion assembly responds to matrix stiffness, 85 a phenomenon that is used by researchers for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the effect on cellular behavior of the nanotopography of the various substrates used in regenerative medicine.…”

“…84 The focal adhesion assembly responds to matrix stiffness, 85 a phenomenon that is used by researchers for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the effect on cellular behavior of the nanotopography of the various substrates used in regenerative medicine. 63,79,[86][87][88] James and Tour 88 indicated that there are numerous permutations of graphene differentiated in terms both of their physical form and the number of layers. Dai et al 30 measured water contact angle dependence on the number of graphene layers and summarized that the wettability of graphene depends on the number of layers, the graphene preparation substrate and its surface chemical composition.…”

Development of a conductive biocomposite combining graphene and amniotic membrane for replacement of the neuronal network of tissue-engineered urinary bladder

“…In contrast to mixing graphene particles with biomaterial components, we transferred pristine graphene layers onto the Am surface, which didn't have contact with cytotoxic or cross-linking substances. Nonchemically-modified graphene is considered to be the most biocompatible form of graphene as it was shown not to alter neuron or muscle cell activity and simultaneously creates a favorable environment for electrical charge transfer 32 . As far as biocomposite structure is concern the next step should comprise evaluation of graphene layer structural coherency using Atomic Force Microspcopy (AFM).…”