Inkjet-Printed Graphene Multielectrode Arrays: An Accessible Platform for In Vitro Cardiac Electrophysiology

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Materials Science

Background:

• In vitro models are crucial alternatives to animal testing for cardiotoxicity assessment.
• High costs and specialized expertise hinder the widespread adoption of in vitro electrophysiology systems for cardiac cell studies.
• There is a need for accessible and cost-effective solutions for cardiac electrophysiology research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a cost-effective approach for in vitro cardiac electrophysiology.
• To develop and characterize fully printed graphene-based microelectrode arrays (pGMEAs) for cardiac cell analysis.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using pGMEAs for recording and analyzing cardiac cell electrophysiological activity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of fully printed graphene-based microelectrode arrays (pGMEAs).
• Characterization of pGMEAs' electrical properties (impedance) and biocompatibility.
• Recording spontaneous electrophysiological activity from HL-1 cardiac cell cultures.
• Monitoring and quantifying cellular responses to noradrenaline stimulation.

Main Results:

• pGMEAs exhibited low impedance values, indicating good electrical performance.
• High cell viability was observed, confirming the biocompatibility of the pGMEAs.
• The platform successfully recorded spontaneous cardiac cell activity and responses to noradrenaline.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of producing fully printed graphene devices for in vitro electrophysiology.

Conclusions:

• The developed pGMEAs offer a cost-effective and accessible platform for in vitro cardiac electrophysiology.
• This technology facilitates the study of cardiac cell electrophysiology and responses to chemical stimuli.
• The accessible and versatile platform represents a significant advancement in developing alternative methods for cardiac safety screening.