4 research outputs found
Vertical Nanowire Electrode Array for Enhanced Neurogenesis of Human Neural Stem Cells via Intracellular Electrical Stimulation
© Extracellular electrical stimulation (ES) can provide electrical potential from outside the cell membrane, but it is often ineffective due to interference from external factors such as culture medium resistance and membrane capacitance. To address this, we developed a vertical nanowire electrode array (VNEA) to directly provide intracellular electrical potential and current to cells through nanoelectrodes. Using this approach, the cell membrane resistivity and capacitance could be excluded, allowing effective ES. Human fetal neural stem cells (hfNSCs) were cultured on the VNEA for intracellular ES. Combining the structural properties of VNEA and VNEA-mediated ES, transient nanoscale perforation of the electrode was induced, promoting cell penetration and delivering current to the cell. Intracellular ES using VNEA improved the neuronal differentiation of hfNSCs more effectively than extracellular ES and facilitated electrophysiological functional maturation of hfNSCs because of the enhanced voltage-dependent ion-channel activity. The results demonstrate that VNEA with advanced nanoelectrodes serves as a highly effective culture and stimulation platform for stem-cell neurogenesis.11Nsciescopu
Enhanced Neurite Outgrowth by Intracellular Stimulation
Electrical stimulation through direct
electrical activation has
been widely used to recover the function of neurons, primarily through
the extracellular application of thin film electrodes. However, studies
using extracellular methods show limited ability to reveal correlations
between the cells and the electrical stimulation due to interference
from external sources such as membrane capacitance and culture medium.
Here, we demonstrate long-term intracellular electrical stimulation
of undamaged pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells by utilizing a vertical
nanowire electrode array (VNEA). The VNEA was prepared by synthesizing
silicon nanowires on a Si substrate through a vapor–liquid–solid
(VLS) mechanism and then fabricating them into electrodes with semiconductor
nanodevice processing. PC-12 cells were cultured on the VNEA for 4
days with intracellular electrical stimulation and then a 2-day stabilization
period. Periodic scanning via two-photon microscopy confirmed that
the electrodes pierced the cells without inducing damage. Electrical
stimulation through the VNEA enhances cellular differentiation and
neurite outgrowth by about 50% relative to extracellular stimulation
under the same conditions. VNEA-mediated stimulation also revealed
that cellular differentiation and growth in the cultures were dependent
on the potential used to stimulate them. Intracellular stimulation
using nanowires could pave the way for controlled cellular differentiation
and outgrowth studies in living cells