Oxidized Graphene and Cell Supports in Regenerative Medicine

Dopaminergic neurons, which produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, participate in biological processes such as movement, which is why their progressive degeneration and death causes Parkinson’s disease, a condition that affects the nervous system and causes lack of motor coordination, tremors and muscle stiffness. While it is true that the origin of this pathology is unknown, there are therapies to mitigate its effects and improve patients’ quality of life.

Researchers at the University of Malaga (UMA) have discovered that graphene oxide could be the most efficient material for testing new drugs or developing cell replacement therapy constructs in Parkinson’s disease.

Graphene is a nanomaterial consisting of an isolated layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal shape.

Having described in previous studies that graphene promoted the differentiation of these dopaminergic cells and prevented their loss, the new goal of the UMA research team was’ to search for a cellular support that would enable the cultivation and protection of future stem cells, so that she could survive without generating tumor processes or abnormalities, ”said Noela Rodríguez Losada, lead scientist on the study.

“Our work shows that this material is the ideal material to generate cell support, enabling adequate growth of dopaminergic neurons and promoting the production of replacement tissue for those neurons damaged by Parkinson’s disease,” said Rodríguez Losada.

The lead author of this study, UMA researcher Noela Rodríguez. (Photo: UMA)

The UMA researcher assures that graphene is a potential material for generating neuroprostheses because of its qualities: it is highly conductive, flexible, biocompatible with cells, cheap to obtain and industrially scalable. Thus, for this search, three subtypes of this nanomaterial were generated: oxidized graphene (GO), partially reduced oxidized graphene (PRGO), and fully reduced graphene (FRGO).

Subsequently, scientists from the Department of Human Physiology at the University of Málaga analyzed both the dust used to generate the different subtypes of graphenes and the films of this material. His intention was to investigate whether it had a toxic effect on cells and whether it was suitable for use as a neuroprosthesis.

“The results showed that the different subtypes of oxidized graphene had a high biocompatibility with dopaminergic cells. Specifically, we showed how the PRGO films promoted their maturation and protected them when we imitated the toxic conditions of Parkinson’s disease, ”concluded Rodríguez Losada.

The study, entitled “Graphene Oxide and Reduced Derivatives, as Powder or Film Scaffolds, Differentially Promote Dopaminergic Neuron Differentiation and Survival”, was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, with the collaboration of the Central Support Services for Research (SCAI) of the unaccompanied minor; the Biochemistry department of the AMV; Miguel Ángel Arráez, Director of the Neurosurgery Department at the Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga; Ernest Arenas, Director of the Biomedicum Laboratory of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden); Pedro González Alegre, professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania; from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Salamanca; and the Norwegian company Abalonyx SL, producer of graphene. (Source: UMA)