Kim Jihwan, Jang Jinah
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea.
Department of Convergence IT Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea.
Int J Bioprint. 2022 Nov 16;9(1):643. doi: 10.18063/ijb.v9i1.643. eCollection 2023.
Native tissues are affected by the microenvironment surrounding the tissue, including electrical activities. External electrical stimulation, which is used in replicating electrical activities and regulating cell behavior, is mainly applied in neural and cardiac tissues due to their electrophysiological properties. The cell culture platform with electrodes provides precise control of the stimulation property and eases the observation of the effects on the cells. The frequently used electrodes are metal or carbon rods, but their risk of damaging tissue and their mechanical properties that are largely different from those of native tissues hinder further applications. Biocompatible polymer reinforced with conductive fillers emerges as a potential solution to fabricate the complex structure of the platform and electrode. Conductive polymer can be used as an ink in the extrusion-based printing method, thus enabling the fabrication of volumetric structures. The filler simultaneously alters the electrical and rheological properties of the ink; therefore, the amount of additional compound should be precisely determined regarding printability and conductivity. This review provides an overview on the rheology and conductivity change relative to the concentration of conductive fillers and the applications of printed electrodes. Next, we discuss the future potential use of a cell culture platform with electrodes from and perspectives.
天然组织会受到组织周围微环境的影响，包括电活动。用于复制电活动和调节细胞行为的外部电刺激，由于其电生理特性，主要应用于神经组织和心脏组织。带有电极的细胞培养平台能够精确控制刺激特性，并便于观察对细胞的影响。常用的电极是金属或碳棒，但其损伤组织的风险以及与天然组织差异较大的机械性能阻碍了其进一步应用。用导电填料增强的生物相容性聚合物成为制造平台和电极复杂结构的潜在解决方案。导电聚合物可作为基于挤出的打印方法中的墨水，从而能够制造三维结构。填料同时改变了墨水的电学和流变学性质；因此，应根据可打印性和导电性精确确定添加化合物的量。本综述概述了相对于导电填料浓度的流变学和导电性变化以及打印电极的应用。接下来，我们从不同角度讨论带有电极的细胞培养平台未来的潜在用途。
