Improvement in cell proliferation on silicone rubber by carbon nanotube coating

Issue title: Selected papers presented at the International Symposium on Nanotoxicity Assessment and Biomedical Environmental Application of Fine Particles and Nanotubes, Hokkaido, Japan, 16–17 June 2008, Part 2

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Matsuoka, Makoto^; | Akasaka, Tsukasa | Hashimoto, Takeshi | Totsuka, Yasunori | Watari, Fumio

Affiliations: Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan | Meijo Nano Carbon Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Makoto Matsuoka, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8586, Japan. Tel.: +81 11 706 4251; Fax: +81 11 706 4251; E-mail: matsuoka@ den.hokudai.ac.jp.

Abstract: Silicone rubbers are widely used as tissue implants because of their flexibility and chemical stability. However, they have limited cellular adhesiveness and may cause problems in the long term. In this study, a coating of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was applied to silicone rubber to improve its cellular adhesiveness. Scanning electron micrograph of this coating revealed that CNTs had formed a densely packed meshwork; the Ra values and protein adsorption capacity were enhanced. Although the contact angle did not change after coating, it decreased after immersion into a culture medium. After cultivation for 6 d, while Saos-2 cells were hardly observed on untreated silicone, the cells proliferated on CNT-coated silicone. Thus, CNT coating might be a simple and effective solution to problems associated with silicone implants.

Keywords: Silicone rubber, carbon nanotubes, osteoblast, cell proliferation, protein adsorption

DOI: 10.3233/BME-2009-0575

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 19, no. 2-3, pp. 155-162, 2009