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  2. Carbon nanotube multilayered nanocomposites as multifunctional substrates for actuating neuronal differentiation and functions of neural stem cells

Carbon nanotube multilayered nanocomposites as multifunctional substrates for actuating neuronal differentiation and functions of neural stem cells

  • Biomaterials. 2018 Aug;175:93-109. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.05.028.
Han Shao 1 Tingting Li 2 Rong Zhu 2 Xiaoting Xu 2 Jiandong Yu 2 Shengfeng Chen 2 Li Song 2 Seeram Ramakrishna 3 Zhigang Lei 4 Yiwen Ruan 5 Liumin He 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Biomaterials of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
  • 2 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
  • 3 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
  • 4 Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
  • 5 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 Key Laboratory of Biomaterials of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown potential applications in neuroscience as growth substrates owing to their numerous unique properties. However, a key concern in the fabrication of homogeneous composites is the serious aggregation of CNTs during incorporation into the biomaterial matrix. Moreover, the regulation mechanism of CNT-based substrates on neural differentiation remains unclear. Here, a novel strategy was introduced for the construction of CNT nanocomposites via layer-by-layer assembly of negatively charged multi-walled CNTs and positively charged poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride). Results demonstrated that the CNT-multilayered nanocomposites provided a potent regulatory signal over neural stem cells (NSCs), including cell adhesion, viability, differentiation, neurite outgrowth, and electrophysiological maturation of NSC-derived neurons. Importantly, the dynamic molecular mechanisms in the NSC differentiation involved the integrin-mediated interactions between NSCs and CNT multilayers, thereby activating focal adhesion kinase, subsequently triggering downstream signaling events to regulate neuronal differentiation and synapse formation. This study provided insights for future applications of CNT-multilayered nanomaterials in neural fields as potent modulators of stem cell behavior.

Keywords

Carbon nanotube multilayers; Differentiation; Functions; Molecular mechanisms; Neural stem cells.

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