title: Substrate effect modulates adhesion and proliferation of fibroblast on graphene layer.
abstract: Graphene is an emerging candidate for biomedical applications, including biosensor, drug delivery and scaffold biomaterials. Cellular functions and behaviors on different graphene-coated substrates, however, still remain elusive to a great extent. This paper explored the functional responses of cells such as adhesion and proliferation, to different kinds of substrates including coverslips, silicone, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with different curing ratios, PDMS treated with oxygen plasma, and their counterparts coated with single layer graphene (SLG). Specifically, adherent cell number, spreading area and cytoskeleton configuration were exploited to characterize cell-substrate adhesion ability, while MTT assay was employed to test the proliferation capability of fibroblasts. Experimental outcome demonstrated graphene coating had excellent cytocompatibility, which could lead to an increase in early adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and remodeling of cytoskeletons of fibroblast cells. Notably, it was found that the underlying substrate effect, e.g., stiffness of substrate materials, could essentially regulate the adhesion and proliferation of cells cultured on graphene. The stiffer the substrates were, the stronger the abilities of adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts were. This study not only deepens our understanding of substrate-modulated interfacial interactions between live cells and graphene, but also provides a valuable guidance for the design and application of graphene-based biomaterials in biomedical engineering.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Jianyong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chau
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Yongsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; CAPT-HEDPS, and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Huiling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; CAPT-HEDPS, and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: jxwang@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jianxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: cyxiong@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chunyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D012828:Silicones; C013830:baysilon; D006108:Graphite
keywords: Cell function and behavior; Cytocompatibility; Graphene; Substrate stiffness; Surface wetting property