Vertical electric field stimulated neural cell functionality on porous amorphous carbon electrodes

Jain, Shilpee and Sharma, Ashutosh and Basu, Bikramjit (2013) Vertical electric field stimulated neural cell functionality on porous amorphous carbon electrodes. In: BIOMATERIALS, 34 (37). pp. 9252-9263.

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Abstract

We demonstrate the efficacy of amorphous macroporous carbon substrates as electrodes to support neuronal cell proliferation and differentiation in electric field mediated culture conditions. The electric field was applied perpendicular to carbon substrate electrode, while growing mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cells in vitro. The placement of the second electrode outside of the cell culture medium allows the investigation of cell response to electric field without the concurrent complexities of submerged electrodes such as potentially toxic electrode reactions, electro-kinetic flows and charge transfer (electrical current) in the cell medium. The macroporous carbon electrodes are uniquely characterized by a higher specific charge storage capacity (0.2 mC/cm(2)) and low impedance (3.3 k Omega at 1 kHz). The optimal window of electric field stimulation for better cell viability and neurite outgrowth is established. When a uniform or a gradient electric field was applied perpendicular to the amorphous carbon substrate, it was found that the N2a cell viability and neurite length were higher at low electric field strengths (<= 2.5 V/cm) compared to that measured without an applied field (0 V/cm). While the cell viability was assessed by two complementary biochemical assays (MTT and LDH), the differentiation was studied by indirect immunostaining. Overall, the results of the present study unambiguously establish the uniform/gradient vertical electric field based culture protocol to either enhance or to restrict neurite outgrowth respectively at lower or higher field strengths, when neuroblastoma cells are cultured on porous glassy carbon electrodes having a desired combination of electrochemical properties. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	BIOMATERIALS
Publisher:	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Additional Information:	copyright for this article belongs to ELSEVIER SCI LTD,ENGLAND
Keywords:	Carbon electrodes; Neural stimulation; Vertical electric field; Neuroblastoma cells
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Materials Research Centre
Date Deposited:	17 Dec 2013 05:46
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2013 05:46
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/47937

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