The effects of chemically-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes on primary mouse astrocytes in an in vitro model of severe traumatic brain injury

摘要: Extensive research has proven that astrocytes, one of the key regulators of brain homeostasis, influence synaptic plasticity of the brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI). It has also been shown that dysregulation of the astrocyte function can lead to negative outcomes of brain trauma. Recently, a promising approach in TBI therapy is tissue engineering, which focuses on connecting the damaged parts of the brain and restoring its structure, and certain nanomaterials, such as the chemically-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), show potential for use in such cases. It was previously discovered that the application of SWCNTs decreases lesion volume and promotes neurite outgrowth in the rat model of spinal cord injury, and when applied to the culture medium, they modulate morpho-functional properties of astrocytes. However, it is still unknown how would the injured astrocytes react to SWCNTs exposure and if these effects would persist in pathological conditions. The purpose of the investigations of our research group is to determine whether the chemically-functionalized SWCNTs can affect the survival of the astrocytes and their proliferation, as well as influence their function in the in vitro model of TBI. In this presentation, the results of our research regarding the effects of SWCNTs on the astrocytes’ survival rate and oxidative stress following stretch injury will be shown. Also, we explored the changes in the secretory function of injured astrocytes and the influence of the application of the investigated nanomaterials. This research was fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation grant UIP-2017-05-9517 to KP.