ABSTRACT
The use of graphene-based materials to engineer sophisticated biosensing interfaces that can adapt to the central nervous system requires a detailed understanding of how such materials behave in a biological context. Graphene's peculiar properties can cause various cellular changes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that single-layer graphene increases neuronal firing by altering membrane-associated functions in cultured cells. Graphene tunes the distribution of extracellular ions at the interface with neurons, a key regulator of neuronal excitability. The resulting biophysical changes in the membrane include stronger potassium ion currents, with a shift in the fraction of neuronal firing phenotypes from adapting to tonically firing. By using experimental and theoretical approaches, we hypothesize that the graphene-ion interactions that are maximized when single-layer graphene is deposited on electrically insulating substrates are crucial to these effects.
Subject(s)
Biocompatible Materials/pharmacology , Cell Communication , Graphite/pharmacology , Nanostructures , Nerve Net/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Action Potentials , Animals , Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Cells, Cultured , Graphite/chemistry , Nanostructures/chemistry , Nerve Net/cytology , Neurons/cytology , Potassium/metabolism , RatsABSTRACT
In this work, both experimental data and a model are presented on the coupling between living cells and graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors. Modified HEK 293 cells are successfully cultured on graphene transistor arrays and electrically accessed by the patch clamp method. Transistor recordings are presented, showing the opening and closing of voltage-gated potassium ion channels in the cell membrane. The experimental data is compared with the broadly used standard point-contact model. The ion dynamics in the cell-transistor cleft are analyzed to account for the differences between the model and the experimental data revealing a significant increase in the total ionic strength in the cleft. In order to describe the influence of the ion concentration resulting from the cell activity, the ion-sensitivity of graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors is investigated experimentally and modelled by considering the screening effect of the ions on the surface potential at the graphene/electrolyte interface. Finally, the model of the cell-transistor coupling is extended to include the effect of ion accumulation and ion sensitivity. The experimental data shows a very good agreement with this extended model, emphasizing the importance of considering the ion concentration in the cleft to properly understand the cell-transistor coupling.