Table 3.
Effect of conductive nano-construct on cellular differentiation.
| Category | Conductive Construct | Mechanical Properties | Electrical Properties | Cell Line | Cellular Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon NMs | MWCNTs, GelMA hydrogels [99] |
E = 23.4 kPa | Z = 400 kΩ | C2C12 | Myotube formation, more than two-folds increase in the expression of MRF4, α-actinin, and MHCIId/x when stimulated electrically |
| CHI, PVA, MWCNTs membranes + differentiating molecules [106] |
E = 941 MPa, εr = 3.8 % | Keithley Multimeter, σ= 1.2 mS/cm | USSCs | Differentiation to CMs-like cells, 3 and 58-folds increase in β-MHC and cTnI expression, respectively | |
| PNIAA/SWCNTs hydrogels [111] |
- | R = 10 kΩ | BADSCs | Differentiation to cardiac like cells | |
| GelMA-CNTs hydrogels [102] |
E = 30.6 kPa | CompactStat Potentiostat, Z = 56 kΩ at 0.2 Hz | 129/SVE-derived mouse stem cells derived rat EBs | Three-folds increase in the expression of cTnT2 and Nkx2.5 when stimulated electrically, relatively high scaffold area covered by the beating EBs | |
| CNTs embedded in EBs [103] |
E = 35.2 kPa | CompactStat Potentiostat, Z = 300 kΩ at 1 Hz | 129/SVE-derived mouse stem cells derived rat EBs | Strong cardiac phenotype. Enhanced expression of Nkx2.5, acta2, cTnT2, MHC, MLC, Cdh5 genes | |
| rGO, Na-alginate hydrogels [110] |
G’ = 1 kPa at ω = 10 rad/s | Four-probe technique, σ = 1/9 ± 0.16 × 105 S/m | hBM-MSCs, | Readily differentiation to CMs-like cells with good viability | |
| Cell culture + C60-fullerene NPs [104] |
- | - | BADSCs | Enhanced MAPK/ERK pathways led to differentiation to CMs-like cells, high expression of Cx43, α-actinin and cTnT | |
| Fullerenol/alginate hydrogels [105] | G’ = 700 Pa, G” = 100 Pa, time sweep = 0–20 sec | - | BADSCs | Enhanced MAPK/ERK pathways led to the differentiation to CMs-like cells | |
| Fullerene whiskers [98] |
- | - | C2C12 | Myotube formation, 1.4-folds increase in MyoD and myogenin expression | |
| Metallic NMs | Gold-coated collagen nanofibers [109] | - | The Keithly instrument, ρ = 4 × 10−5 Ω m | Ch-MSCs | Differentiation to CMs with high proliferation rate, enhanced expression of ANP and Nkx2.5 |
| Gold NPs/chitosan hydrogels [108] | Ec = 7 kPa | Four-probe technique, σ = 0.13 S/m | MSCs | Formation of cardiomyocyte-like cells, Nkx2.5 and α-MHC upregulated by 1.80 and 2.4-folds, respectively | |
| PU-rGO/ Ag-NPs membranes [107] |
UTS= 110 MPa, εr = 51%, | Metrohm conductometer, σ = 100 µS/cm | hCPCs | Elevated expression of Tbx18, cTnT, and α-MHC | |
| Gold-coated PCL membranes [100] | E = 1.69 MPa | Multi-meter, ρ = 9.5 kΩ/cm | H9c2 | Myotube formation with high maturation and fusion indices, enhanced MHC expression |
Abbreviations: CHI: chitosan, PVA: polyvinyl alcohol, USSCs: unrestricted somatic stem cells, BADSCs: brown adipose-derived stem cells, EBs: embryoid bodies, ω: angular frequency, hBM-MSCs: human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, Ch-MSCs: chorion placental derived mesenchymal stem cells, hCPCs: human cardiac progenitor cells, PCL: polycaprolactone, G’: shear storage modulus, G”: shear loss modulus, εr: strain at rupture, Ec: compressive modulus, UTS: ultimate tensile strength, E = elastic modulus, ρ: electrical resistivity.