Electromechanical Nanogenerator–Cell Interaction Modulates Cell Activity

作者：Gonzalo Murillo, Andreu Blanquer, Carolina Vargas‐Estevez, Lleonard Barrios, Elena Ibáñez, Carme Nogués, J. Estéve · 发表于：Advanced Materials · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1002/adma.201605048 · 被引用次数：195 · 研究领域：Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Neuroscience and Neural Engineering、Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation

Noninvasive methods for in situ electrical stimulation of human cells open new frontiers to future bioelectronic therapies, where controlled electrical impulses could replace the use of chemical drugs for disease treatment. Here, this study demonstrates that the interaction of living cells with piezoelectric nanogenerators (NGs) induces a local electric field that self-stimulates and modulates their cell activity, without applying an additional chemical or physical external stimulation. When cells are cultured on top of the NGs, based on 2D ZnO nanosheets, the electromechanical NG-cell interactions stimulate the motility of macrophages and trigger the opening of ion channels present in the plasma membrane of osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2) inducing intracellular calcium transients. In addition, excellent cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation are validated. This in situ cell-scale electrical stimulation of osteoblast-like cells can be extrapolated to other excitable cells such as neurons or muscle cells, paving the way for future bioelectronic medicines based on cell-targeted electrical impulses.