posted on 2024-01-11, 16:03authored byGiulia Suarato, Samuel Pressi, Enzo Menna, Massimo Ruben, Enrica Maria Petrini, Andrea Barberis, Dalila Miele, Giuseppina Sandri, Marco Salerno, Andrea Schirato, Alessandro Alabastri, Athanassia Athanassiou, Remo Proietti Zaccaria, Evie L. Papadopoulou
As is known, carbon
nanotubes favor cell growth in vitro, although
the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. In this study,
we explore the hypothesis that electrostatic fields generated at the
interface between nonexcitable cells and appropriate scaffold might
favor cell growth by tuning their membrane potential. We focused on
primary human fibroblasts grown on electrospun polymer fibers (poly(lactic
acid)PLA) with embedded multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).
The MWCNTs were functionalized with either the p-methoxyphenyl
(PhOME) or the p-acetylphenyl (PhCOMe) moiety, both
of which allowed uniform dispersion in a solvent, good mixing with
PLA and the consequent smooth and homogeneous electrospinning process.
The inclusion of the electrically conductive MWCNTs in the insulating
PLA matrix resulted in differences in the surface potential of the
fibers. Both PLA and PLA/MWCNT fiber samples were found to be biocompatible.
The main features of fibroblasts cultured on different substrates
were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry,
Rt-qPCR, and electrophysiology revealing that fibroblasts grown on
PLA/MWCNT reached a healthier state as compared to pure PLA. In particular,
we observed physiological spreading, attachment, and Vmem of fibroblasts on PLA/MWCNT. Interestingly, the electrical
functionalization of the scaffold resulted in a more suitable extracellular
environment for the correct biofunctionality of these nonexcitable
cells. Finally, numerical simulations were also performed in order
to understand the mechanism behind the different cell behavior when
grown either on PLA or PLA/MWCNT samples. The results show a clear
effect on the cell membrane potential, depending on the underlying
substrate.