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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
Graphene Coatings for Biomedical Implants
Published on: March 1, 2013
Osteoinductive potential of graphene and graphene oxide for bone tissue engineering: a comparative study
Shivaji Bhikaji Kashte1, Sachin Kadam2, Nicola Maffulli3,4,5
1Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, D. Y. Patil Education Society (Institution Deemed to be University), Kolhapur, 416006, India.
Background:
Bone defects, especially critical-size bone defects, and their repair pose a treatment challenge. Osteoinductive scaffolds have gained importance given their potential in bone tissue engineering applications.
Methods:
Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds are used for their morphological, physical, cell-compatible and osteoinductive properties. The PCL scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning, and the surface was modified by layer-by-layer deposition using either graphene or graphene oxide.
Results:
Graphene oxide-coated PCL (PCL-GO) scaffolds showed a trend for enhanced physical properties such as fibre diameter, wettability and mechanical properties, yield strength, and tensile strength, compared to graphene-modified PCL scaffolds (PCL-GP). However, the surface roughness of PCL-GP scaffolds showed a higher trend than PCL-GO scaffolds. In vitro studies showed that both scaffolds were cell-compatible. Graphene oxide on PCL scaffold showed a trend for enhanced osteogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells without any differentiation media than graphene on PCL scaffolds after 21 days.
Conclusion:
Graphene oxide showed a trend for higher mineralisation, but this trend is not statistically significant. Therefore, graphene and graphene oxide have the potential for bone regeneration and tissue engineering applications. Future in vivo studies and clinical trials are warranted to justify their ultimate clinical use.
