Improvement of Schwann Cells Attachment and Proliferation on Graphene Oxide

Schwann cell plays an important role in the recovery of peripheral nerve injury, since it is involved in directing and providing physical support to regrow axons by building characteristic bands, and creating an axonal growth microenvironment by secreting neurotrophic factors. Thus, substantial attention has been devoted to investigate various biocompatible biomaterials for promoting Schwann cells proliferation. The distinguished properties of graphene have attracted more attention since of their mechanical and bioconnpatible features. To the best of our knowledge, the biological applications of graphene against Schwann cells remain unexplored. In this study, we prepared the graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated substrate for evaluation the promotion Schwann cells proliferation. The properties of GO and rGO were characterized by atomic force microscopy, the morphology of the GO and rGO coated substrate were observed by the optical microscopy. CCK-8 kit was conducted to evaluate the proliferation of Schwann cells. The cytoskeleton of Schwann cells was analyzed by phalloidin and Hoechst staining. Furthermore, the expression and secretion of NGF, BDNF and CNTF were investigated. The graphene-based materials will effectively enhance the repair of peripheral nerve injury through promoting Schwann cells proliferation.