Potentiostatically Stimulated Osteogenic Differentiation in a Mammalian Pre-Osteoblast Cell Line (MC3T3-E1)

Abstract

The biological effect of various stimuli on cells and tissues has been widely investigated. In particular, electrical stimulation has attracted significant attention because it can orient, migrate, activate, and even induce differentiation in various cells, especially in osteoblastic cells. Several studies investigating the effects of electrical stimulation on cells utilized cell culture media solution or non-conductive surfaces. However, carbon-based materials serve as a better substitute for electrical conduction than do cell culture surfaces. Among the many methods to provide electrical stimulation, cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a prominent method for gathering information about electrode phenomena. In the present study, we stimulated cells with different durations of voltage flow on a carbon felt surface and analyzed its effect on various cellular responses. We assessed cellular adhesive ability, cytotoxicity, and RNA expression of certain osteogenic genes. Our results showed that MC3T3-E1 cells are capable of adhering to carbon felt, while cellular cytotoxicity was relatively low under certain circumstances. Furthermore, osteogenic gene expression increased with increasing duration of voltage flow in each cycle, which suggests that osteogenic gene expression can be controlled with specific control of voltage flow on carbon felt surfaces.