Application of graphene based nano materials in tissue engineering

Carbon nanotechnology has developed rapidly during the last decade, and carbon allotropes, especially graphene have already found a wide variety of applications in industry, high-tech fields, biomedicine, and basic science.Starting from the simple pencil, the role of graphene now extends to a lifesaver through innovations in Nanomedicine. Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms, arranged in a two-dimensional hexagonal structure, with extraordinary electrical, thermal, and physical properties. Moreover, the molecular structure of graphene can be chemically modified with molecules of interest to promote the development of high-performance devices. Although graphene and their derivatives have been extensively employed in industry and electronics, their use in regenerative medicine is still in an early phase. A high specific surface area coupled with superior chemical stability, biocompatibility, and flexibility in functionalization render graphene-based nanomaterials one of the most exciting platforms for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications, especially for stem cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. Thus, Graphene is a promising candidate due to its superior topographical, chemical, and electrical cues compared with conventional biomaterials. Owing to its electrically tunable surface chemistry, maximal surface-to-volume ratio, easy functionalization capacity and mechanical robustness, graphene gained enormous attention in tissue engineering specifically in cardiac, nerve, bone, skin and stem cells. This review focusses on the recent developments in graphene-based nano theranostics and tissue engineering

Keywords:

Graphene , Stem cell , Tissue engineering , Nanomaterial