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Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Preparation and Characterization of Graphene-Based 3D Biohybrid Hydrogel Bioink for Peripheral Neuroengineering
Published on: May 16, 2022
Enhanced Osteogenic Commitment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Polyethylene Glycol-Based Cryogel with Graphene
Hwan D Kim1, Jiyong Kim1, Rachel H Koh1
1School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, N-Bio Institute, Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Graphene oxide (GO) is considered a comparatively recent biomaterial with enormous potential because of its nontoxicity, high dispersity, and enhanced interaction with biomolecules. These characteristics of GO can promote the interactions between the substrates and cell surfaces. In this study, we incorporated GO in a cryogel-based scaffold system to observe their influence on the osteogenic responses of human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hTMSCs). Compared to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based cryogel scaffold, GO-embedded PEG-based (PEGDA-GO) cryogels not only showed improved cell attachment and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling activation but also enhanced cell viability. Taken together, we demonstrated that PEGDA-GO cryogels can stimulate osteogenic differentiation under an osteoinductive condition and enhance osteogenic phenotypes compared to the control group. In summary, we demonstrate that GO embedded in cryogels system is an effective biofunctionalizing scaffold to control osteogenic commitment of stem cells.

