Visible-light-responsive reduced graphene oxide/g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composite nanocoating for photoelectric stimulation of neuronal and osteoblastic differentiation
Ziru Yan, Kai Li, Dandan Shao, Qingyi Shen, Yi Ding, Shansong Huang, Youtao Xie, Xuebin Zheng
Abstract
nanocoatings, the ternary nanocoating exhibited stronger visible-light absorption as well as higher transient photocurrent density and open circuit potential under blue LED exposure. The improved photo-electrochemical properties of the ternary nanocoating were attributed to the enhanced separation of photogenerated carriers at the heterointerface. For the tested nanocoatings, introducing blue LED light irradiation enhanced MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic differentiation and neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Among them, the rGO/CN/TO nanocoating exerted the greatest enhancement. In a coculture system, PC12 cells on the ternary nanocoating released a higher amount of neurotransmitter calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) under light irradiation, which in turn significantly enhanced osteoblastic differentiation. The results may provide a prospective approach for targeting nerve regeneration to stimulate osteogenesis when designing bone repair biomaterials.