A novel bioactive system based on surface-functionalized plasmonic nanosystems for tunable biological surfaces

摘要

A 2D AuNRs-SH-PEG-NH_2 nanocomposite was deposited on a plastic surface via a novel technique. This structure was utilized to evaluate the use of AuNRs as a bioactive substrate, as it allows cell-substrate interaction analysis. AuNRs with an aspect ratio of around 3 and a diameter of around 12 nm were used in this study after they were functional ized with thiolated PEG; they were also supplemented with-NH_2 groups to improve cell adhesion. Cytotoxicity tests confirmed that the system does not harm cell growth. The AuNR system was analyzed for its ability to support neural differentiation of human MSCs. hMSC differentiation into neural cells was compared with and without AuNRs by examining the expression of three important target proteins: GFAP, S100β, and Vimentin. The expression outcomes and patterns of Vimentin showed that the cells kept their fibroblastic morphology and experience the changes that occur with normal neural differentiation. Additionally, the S100β and GFAP expression patterns indicated that the AuNR system accelerated neural differentiation (Fig. 1e-f).