Electroconductive Biohybrid Collagen/Pristine Graphene Composite Biomaterials with Enhanced Biological Activity |
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Authors: | Alan J Ryan Cathal J Kearney Nian Shen Umar Khan Adam G Kelly Christopher Probst Eva Brauchle Sonia Biccai Carolina D Garciarena Victor Vega‐Mayoral Peter Loskill Steve W Kerrigan Daniel J Kelly Katja Schenke‐Layland Jonathan N Coleman Fergal J O'Brien |
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Affiliation: | 1. Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG), Department of Anatomy, School of Pharmacy and Department of MCT, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Ireland;2. Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Ireland;3. Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (TCBE), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland;4. Department of Women's Health, Research Institute for Women's Health, Eberhard‐Karls‐University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;5. Department of Life Sciences, PEM Centre, School of Science, Sligo Institute of Technology, Sligo Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland;6. Department of Cell and Tissue Engineering, Fraunhofer‐Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Stuttgart, Germany;7. Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
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Abstract: | Electroconductive substrates are emerging as promising functional materials for biomedical applications. Here, the development of biohybrids of collagen and pristine graphene that effectively harness both the biofunctionality of the protein component and the increased stiffness and enhanced electrical conductivity (matching native cardiac tissue) obtainable with pristine graphene is reported. As well as improving substrate physical properties, the addition of pristine graphene also enhances human cardiac fibroblast growth while simultaneously inhibiting bacterial attachment (Staphylococcus aureus). When embryonic‐stem‐cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (ESC‐CMs) are cultured on the substrates, biohybrids containing 32 wt% graphene significantly increase metabolic activity and cross‐striated sarcomeric structures, indicative of the improved substrate suitability. By then applying electrical stimulation to these conductive biohybrid substrates, an enhancement of the alignment and maturation of the ESC‐CMs is achieved. While this in vitro work has clearly shown the potential of these materials to be translated for cardiac applications, it is proposed that these graphene‐based biohybrid platforms have potential for a myriad of other applications—particularly in electrically sensitive tissues, such as neural and neural and musculoskeletal tissues. |
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Keywords: | biohybrids bioinspired materials collagen composites electroconductive materials graphene |
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