Synthesis and osteo-compatibility of novel reduced graphene oxide-aminosilica hybrid nanosheets

Graphene: A Multifaceted Carbon-Based Material for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Tissue engineering is an emerging technological field that aims to restore and replace human tissues. A significant number of individuals require bone replacement annually as a result of skeletal abnormalities or accidents. In recent decades, notable progress has been made in the field of biomedical research, specifically in the realm of sophisticated and biocompatible materials. The purpose of these biomaterials is to facilitate bone tissue regeneration. Carbon nanomaterial-based scaffolds are particularly notable due to their accessibility, mechanical durability, and biofunctionality. The scaffolds exhibit the capacity to enhance cellular proliferation, mitigate cell damage, induce bone tissue growth, and maintain biological compatibility. Therefore, they play a crucial role in the development of the bone matrix and the necessary cellular interactions required for bone tissue restoration. The attachment, growth, and specialization of osteogenic stem cells on biomaterial scaffolds play critical roles in bone tissue engineering. The optimal biomaterial should facilitate the development of bone tissue in a manner that closely resembles that of human bone. This comprehensive review encompasses the examination of graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerenes, carbon dots (CDs), nanodiamonds, and their respective derivatives. The biomaterial frameworks possess the ability to replicate the intricate characteristics of the bone microenvironment, thereby rendering them suitable for utilization in tissue engineering endeavors.

Development of Graphene-Based Materials in Bone Tissue Engineaering

Bone regeneration-related graphene-based materials (bGBMs) are increasingly attracting attention in tissue engineering due to their special physical and chemical properties. The purpose of this review is to quantitatively analyze mass academic literature in the field of bGBMs through scientometrics software CiteSpace, to demonstrate the rules and trends of bGBMs, thus to analyze and summarize the mechanisms behind the rules, and to provide clues for future research. First, the research status, hotspots, and frontiers of bGBMs are analyzed in an intuitively and vividly visualized way. Next, the extracted important subjects such as fabrication techniques, cytotoxicity, biodegradability, and osteoinductivity of bGBMs are presented, and the different mechanisms, in turn, are also discussed. Finally, photothermal therapy, which is considered an emerging area of application of bGBMs, is also presented. Based on this approach, this work finds that different studies report differing opinions on the biological properties of bGBMS due to the lack of consistency of GBMs preparation. Therefore, it is necessary to establish more standards in fabrication, characterization, and testing for bGBMs to further promote scientific progress and clinical translation.

Application of some graphene derivatives to increase the efficiency of stem cell therapy

Graphene and its derivatives have application potential in many areas such as environmental technology, catalysis, biomedicine, and in particular, stem cell-based differentiation and regenerative therapies. Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation has emerged as a potential therapy for some diseases, such as acute kidney damage, liver failure and myocardial infarction. However, the poor survival of transplanted stem cells in such applications has significantly limited their therapeutic effectiveness. Graphene-based materials can improve the therapeutic efficacy of stem cells as they prevent the death of implanted cells by attaching them prior to implantation and increasing their paracrine secretion. In this review, we will highlight a number of recent studies that have investigated the potential use of graphene or its derivatives in stem cell applications and the prevention of transplanted stem cells from cell death, thereby improving their therapeutic efficacy.

Graphene oxide as a scaffold for bone regeneration

Graphene oxide (GO), the oxidized form of graphene, holds great potential as a component of biomedical devices, deriving utility from its ability to support a broad range of chemical functionalities and its exceptional mechanical, electronic, and thermal properties. GO composites can be tuned chemically to be biomimetic, and mechanically to be stiff yet strong. These unique properties make GO-based materials promising candidates as a scaffold for bone regeneration. However, questions still exist as to the compatibility and long-term toxicity of nanocarbon materials. Unlike other nanocarbons, GO is meta-stable, water dispersible, and autodegrades in water on the timescale of months to humic acid-like materials, the degradation products of all organic matter. Thus, GO offers better prospects for biological compatibility over other nanocarbons. Recently, many publications have demonstrated enhanced osteogenic performance of GO-containing composites. Ongoing work toward surface modification or coating strategies could be useful to minimize the inflammatory response and improve compatibility of GO as a component of medical devices. Furthermore, biomimetic modifications could offer mechanical and chemical environments that encourage osteogenesis. So long as care is given to assure their safety, GO-based materials may be poised to become the next generation scaffold for bone regeneration. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1437. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1437 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.