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Morphology of fibroblasts grown on substrates formed by dielectrophoretically aligned carbon nanotubes

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Abstract

Multiwall carbon nanotube templates formed on the surfaces of planar interdigitated microelectrode arrays by means of AC electric field-guided assembly are being explored as potential substrates for tissue engineering. The objective of the present study is to examine whether surface patterns of aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes can have an effect on cell growth, morphology, and alignment. Bovine fibroblasts grown on aligned carbon nanotubes for a period of 2 weeks were found to have raised bodies and pronounced cell extensions for anchoring themselves to the substrate similar to that of the cells found in native tissues. On the other hand, cells grown on various control surfaces had a flat, circular morphology. The cell cultures were visualized by means of SEM imaging and the resulting morphologies were statistically analyzed and compared.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for this work was provided by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)/Collaborative Program of Sectorial Interest (#NM60131). Fabrication of the microelectrodes was performed at the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility (a member of the National Nanofabrication Users Network), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Infrastructure funding for this project was provided by Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University at Kingston, 208 Dupuis Hall, Division Street, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    Felix L.-Y. Yuen, Stephen D. Waldman & Aristides Docoslis

  2. Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    Gene Zak & Stephen D. Waldman

  3. Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 2V7

    Stephen D. Waldman & Aristides Docoslis

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  1. Felix L.-Y. Yuen
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  2. Gene Zak
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  3. Stephen D. Waldman
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  4. Aristides Docoslis
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Correspondence to Aristides Docoslis.

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Yuen, F.LY., Zak, G., Waldman, S.D. et al. Morphology of fibroblasts grown on substrates formed by dielectrophoretically aligned carbon nanotubes. Cytotechnology 56, 9–17 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-007-9113-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-007-9113-0

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