Cell chip to detect effects of graphene oxide nanopellet on human neural stem cell

The graphene oxide (GO) nanopellet, a potentially useful carbon-based material, recently started being applied in cell-based research areas. Its toxicity assessment using the neural-stem-cell-based chip has not been thoroughly reported yet, though. Herein, a cell chip was fabricated to electrochemically detect the toxic effects of GO nanopellets on HBl.F3 cells. The RGD peptide was immobilized on the gold electrode surface to enhance the binding affinity of the HBl.F3 cells to the electrode surface. A clear redox peak appeared when the HB1.F3 cells were analyzed via cyclic voltammetry. The GO nanopellet was analyzed via Raman spectroscopy to confirm its distinct structural characteristics that normally differ from those of graphite oxide. After GO was added to the HB1.F3 cells, differential pulse voltammetry was performed to discover the toxic effects of GO nanopellets on HB1.F3 cells. A negative correlation was achieved between the concentration of the GO nanopellets and the cell viability, which was verified via both MTT assay and a microscopic imaging tool. Thus, these electrochemical tools can be usefully applied to the toxicity assessment of various kinds of carbon-based materials.