Increased osteoblast growth with graphene oxide in a microwell-based biochip

This study investigated a biocompatibility of graphene oxide (GO) nanoflakes in culture medium with bone-forming cells or pre-osteoblasts using a microwell-based microfluidic chip made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and glass slide. The osteoblast growth was studied with GO in three concentrations (0, 25 and 50 μg/ml) at three time points (2, 4 and 6 hours) by a light microscopy. A percentage of relative cell numbers per microwell was analyzed using ImageJ program. The results suggested that with GO suspension at the concentration of 25 μg/ml the relative cell-survival percentages after 4 and 6 hours of culture in microwell-based biochips were highest when compared with other conditions. Whereas, at the concentration of 50 μg/ml GO caused adverse effect to pre-osteoblast cells at every time point. The microfluidic biochip provides an easy platform to track cells and determine cell growth with nanomaterials in a small volume of suspension.