Volume 23, Issue 11 2300173
Research Article

Organic Functional Group on Carbon Nanotube Modulates the Maturation of SH-SY5Y Neuronal Models

Bahaa Daou

Bahaa Daou

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

Neuromuscular Diseases Group, Neurosciences Area, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Donostia/San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

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Alessandro Silvestri

Alessandro Silvestri

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

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Haizpea Lasa

Haizpea Lasa

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

Neuromuscular Diseases Group, Neurosciences Area, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Donostia/San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

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Donato Mancino

Donato Mancino

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

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Maurizio Prato

Corresponding Author

Maurizio Prato

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48013 Spain

Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universitá Degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, 34127 Italy

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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Nuria Alegret

Corresponding Author

Nuria Alegret

Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC BiomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014 Spain

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 01 July 2023

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have proven to be excellent substrates for neuronal cultures, showing high affinity and greatly boosting their synaptic functionality. Therefore, growing cells on CNT offers an opportunity to perform a large variety of neuropathology studies in vitro. To date, the interactions between neurons and chemical functional groups have not been studied extensively. To this end, multiwalled CNT (f-CNT) is functionalized with various functional groups, including sulfonic (–SO3H), nitro (–NO2), amino (–NH2), and oxidized moieties. f-CNTs are spray-coated onto untreated glass substrates and are used as substrates for the incubation of neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). After 7 d, its effect is evaluated in terms of cell attachment, survival, growth, and spontaneous differentiation. Cell viability assays show quite increased proliferation on various f-CNT substrates (CNTs-NO2 > ox-CNTs ≈ CNTs-SO3H > CNTs ≈ CNTs-NH2). Additionally, SH-SY5Y cells show selectively better differentiation and maturation with –SO3H substrates, where an increased expression of β-III tubulin is seen. In all cases, intricate cell-CNT networks are observed and the morphology of the cells adopts longer and thinner cellular processes, suggesting that the type of functionalization may have an effect of the length and thickness. Finally, a possible correlation is determined between conductivity of f-CNTs and cell-processes lengths.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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