Electrical Stimulation and Conductive Polymers as a Powerful Toolbox for Tailoring Cell Behaviour in vitro
Electrical stimulation (ES) is a well-known method for guiding the behaviour of nerve cells in systems based on the response of these cells to an electric field. From this perspective, understanding how the electrochemical stimulus can be tuned for the design of a desired cell response is of great i...
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Published in | Frontiers in medical technology Vol. 3; p. 670274 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Switzerland
Frontiers Media S.A
29.07.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Electrical stimulation (ES) is a well-known method for guiding the behaviour of nerve cells in
systems based on the response of these cells to an electric field. From this perspective, understanding how the electrochemical stimulus can be tuned for the design of a desired cell response is of great importance. Most biomedical studies propose the application of an electrical potential to cell culture arrays while examining the cell response regarding viability, morphology, and gene expression. Conversely, various studies failed to evaluate how the fine physicochemical properties of the materials used for cell culture influence the observed behaviours. Among the various materials used for culturing cells under ES, conductive polymers (CPs) are widely used either in pristine form or in addition to other polymers. CPs themselves do not possess the optimal surface for cell compatibility because of their hydrophobic nature, which leads to poor protein adhesion and, hence, poor bioactivity. Therefore, understanding how to tailor the chemical properties on the material surface will determine the obtention of improved ES platforms. Moreover, the structure of the material, either in a thin film or in porous electrospun scaffolds, also affects the biochemical response and needs to be considered. In this review, we examine how materials based on CPs influence cell behaviour under ES, and we compile the various ES setups and physicochemical properties that affect cell behaviour. This review concerns the culture of various cell types, such as neurons, fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and Schwann cells, and it also covers studies on stem cells prone to ES. To understand the mechanistic behaviour of these devices, we also examine studies presenting a more detailed biomolecular level of interaction. This review aims to guide the design of future ES setups regarding the influence of material properties and electrochemical conditions on the behaviour of
cell studies. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 Edited by: Rami Mhanna, American University of Beirut, Lebanon This article was submitted to Regenerative Technologies, a section of the journal Frontiers in Medical Technology Reviewed by: Firouzeh Sabri, University of Memphis, United States; Marta Fernández-García, Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP), Spain |
ISSN: | 2673-3129 2673-3129 |
DOI: | 10.3389/fmedt.2021.670274 |