Electrical Stimulation-Mediated Differentiation of Neural Cells on Conductive Carbon Nanofiller-Based Scaffold

Abstract

An important strategy in neural tissue engineering involves imparting electrical properties to the regenerative template to encourage cell proliferation and differentiation. Several clinical studies have confirmed that direct or indirect electrical stimulation therapy greatly impacts the treatment of peripheral and central nerve injury. Nerve regeneration can be accelerated by the application of electrical stimulations of different methods and with varying parameters. For a long period, electrical stimulation along with conventional conductive polymers have played an important role in nerve tissue regeneration, due to their conductivity. However, the low biocompatibility of these materials has brought attention toward the need for the alternative of the conductive polymers. Carbon nanofillers (graphene, nanotubes, and their derivatives) have been showing promising results in bioimaging, biosensing, and composites, simultaneously, proving themselves as a prospective biomaterial in neural tissue repair and regeneration due to their excellent electrical and mechanical properties, alongside, biocompatibility. Therefore, carbon nanofiller-based scaffolds synchronized with electrical stimulation may lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of nerve injury. This review article focuses on the influence of the electrical properties of carbon-based material on nerve tissue engineering. In this article, we explicitly focus on the different methods to deliver electrical stimulation and the pathways involved in the differentiation of neuronal cells. Emphasis is given to the analysis of the suitable fabrication strategies of carbon-based neural scaffold and the way its interfaces interact with neurons for promoting neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, this review summarizes the ongoing advancements to augment the conductivity and biological activities (cell adhesion, proliferation, neural differentiation, neurite outgrowth), as well as to reduce the potential toxicity in conductive carbon nanofiller-based scaffolds.