Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea.
Nanotechnology. 2010 Jun 11;21(23):235102. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/21/23/235102. Epub 2010 May 13.
Researchers have made extensive efforts to mimic or reverse-engineer in vivo neural circuits using micropatterning technology. Various surface chemical cues or topographical structures have been proposed to design neuronal networks in vitro. In this paper, we propose a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based network engineering method which naturally mimics the structure of extracellular matrix (ECM). On CNT patterned substrates, poly-L-lysine (PLL) was coated, and E18 rat hippocampal neurons were cultured. In the early developmental stage, soma adhesion and neurite extension occurred in disregard of the surface CNT patterns. However, later the majority of neurites selectively grew along CNT patterns and extended further than other neurites that originally did not follow the patterns. Long-term cultured neuronal networks had a strong resemblance to the in vivo neural circuit structures. The selective guidance is possibly attributed to higher PLL adsorption on CNT patterns and the nanomesh structure of the CNT patterns. The results showed that CNT patterned substrates can be used as novel neuronal patterning substrates for in vitro neural engineering.
研究人员已经做出了广泛的努力，使用微图案化技术模拟或反向工程体内神经回路。已经提出了各种表面化学线索或形貌结构，以设计体外神经元网络。在本文中，我们提出了一种基于碳纳米管（CNT）的网络工程方法，该方法自然模拟细胞外基质（ECM）的结构。在 CNT 图案化基底上涂覆聚-L-赖氨酸（PLL），并培养 E18 大鼠海马神经元。在早期发育阶段，细胞体黏附和突起延伸发生，而不考虑表面 CNT 图案。然而，后来大多数突起沿着 CNT 图案选择性生长，并比其他原本不遵循图案的突起延伸得更远。长期培养的神经元网络与体内神经回路结构非常相似。这种选择性导向可能归因于 CNT 图案上更高的 PLL 吸附和 CNT 图案的纳米网结构。结果表明，CNT 图案化基底可用作体外神经工程的新型神经元图案化基底。
