Table 1.
Applications of CNTs in tissue engineering
| Cell type | CNT | Function | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cells with electrical activity | Carbon nanotube fibers | Tissue engineering constructs with the capacity to provide controlled electrical stimulation | 175 |
| Neurons | SWNTs | Directly stimulate brain circuit activity | 176 |
| Epithelial and cardiac cells | Nanotube collagen gel | Promotes the tissue-specific development of seeded cells and the growth of skin, pieces of myocardium, and cellular structures | 177 |
| Various types | CNTs | Allow an in vitro simulation of in vivo conditions, making it simple to study or induce in the laboratory natural cellular processes such as cellular differentiation | 178 |
| Osteoblast | MWNTs | Different osteoblast phenotype depending on 3-D structure | |
| Osteoblast | CNTs | Roughness of CNT scaffolds was also found to influence the increase of osteoblastic cell differentiation and proliferation | 179 |
| Osteoblast | Vertically aligned TiO2 nanotubes | Accelerated osteoblast cell growth | 180 |
| Hippocampal neurons | MWNTs coated with 4-hydroxynonenal on polyethylene amine-layered coverslips | Induce neurite outgrowth and cell adhesion | 181 |
| Hippocampal neurons | MWNTs | Synaptic activity increased | 182 |
| Stem cells | MWNTs | Osteoclast differentiation can be inhibited | 183 |
| Human embryonic stem cells | CNTs grafted with polyacrylic acid | Stem cells are favorably directed towards the neural lineage | 184 |
| Neural stem cells | Laminin–SWNT films | Conduct cell differentiation and and their successful excitation | 185 |
| Mesenchymal stem cells from adult bone marrow | Carbon nanofibers with TGF-β | Generation of chondrocytes | 186 |
Abbreviations: CNTs, carbon nanotubes; SWNTs, single-walled carbon nanotubes; MWNTs, multiwalled carbon nanotubes; TGF, transforming growth factor.