Kikuo Komori

Electrochemically Functionalized Seamless Three-Dimensional Graphene-Carbon Nanotube Hybrid for Direct Electron Transfer of Glucose Oxidase and Bioelectrocatalysis

Three-dimensional seamless chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene-carbon nanotubes (G-CNT) hybrid film has been studied for its potential in achieving direct electron transfer (DET) of glucose oxidase (GOx) and its bioelectrocatalytic activity in glucose detection. A two-step CVD method was employed for the synthesis of seamless G-CNT hybrid film where CNTs are grown on already grown graphene film on copper foil using iron as a catalyst. Physical characterization using SEM and TEM show uniform dense coverage of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) grown directly on graphene with seamless contacts. The G-CNT hybrid film was electrochemically modified to introduce oxygenated functional groups for DET favorable immobilization of GOx. Pristine and electrochemically functionalized G-CNT film was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron-spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The DET between GOx and electrochemically oxidized G-CNT electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry which showed a pair of well-defined and quasi-reversible redox peaks with a formal potential of -459 mV at pH 7 corresponding to the redox site of GOx. The constructed electrode detected glucose concentration over the clinically relevant range of 2-8 mM with the highest sensitivity of 19.31 μA/mM/cm(2) compared to reported composite hybrid electrodes of graphene oxide and CNTs. Electrochemically functionalized CVD grown seamless G-CNT structure used in this work has potential to be used for development of artificial mediatorless redox enzyme based biosensors and biofuel cells.

Peroxidase-modified cup-stacked carbon nanofiber networks for electrochemical biosensing with adjustable dynamic range

Cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs) were treated with ozone to introduce oxygen-containing groups to the edges of the graphene cups. The O/C atomic ratio at the surface was estimated to be 5.3 × 10−2. The hydrophilic CSCNFs were used for constructing a three-dimensional network that works both as an electrical nanowire and an enzyme support. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) molecules were immobilized onto the network for amperometric sensing of H2O2 and inhibition-based sensing of cyanide. Both the upper sensing limit of H2O2 and the upper and lower sensing limits of cyanide were controlled by about two orders of magnitude by changing the HRP coverage.

Bioelectrochemistry of Heme Peptide at Seamless Three-Dimensional Carbon Nanotubes/Graphene Hybrid Films for Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Biosensing

A seamless three-dimensional hybrid film consisting of carbon nanotubes grown at the graphene surface (CNTs/G) is a promising material for the application to highly sensitive enzyme-based electrochemical biosensors. The CNTs/G film was used as a conductive nanoscaffold for enzymes. The heme peptide (HP) was immobilized on the surface of the CNTs/G film for amperometric sensing of H2O2. Compared with flat graphene electrodes modified with HP, the catalytic current for H2O2 reduction at the HP-modified CNTs/G electrode increased due to the increase in the surface coverage of HP. In addition, microvoids in the CNTs/G film contributed to diffusion of H2O2 to modified HP, resulting in the enhancement of the catalytic cathodic currents. The kinetics of the direct electron transfer from the CNTs/G electrode to compound I and II of modified HP was also analyzed.

Combination of microwell structures and direct oxygenation enables efficient and size-regulated aggregate formation of an insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cell line.

Spherical three‐dimensional (3D) cellular aggregates are valuable for various applications such as regenerative medicine or cell‐based assays due to their stable and high functionality. However, previous methods to form aggregates have shown drawbacks, being labor‐intensive, showing low productivity per unit area or volume and difficulty to form homogeneous aggregates. We proposed a novel strategy based on oxygen‐permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) honeycomb microwell sheets, which can theoretically supply about 80 times as much oxygen as conventional polystyrene culture dishes, to produce recoverable aggregates in controllable sizes using mouse insulinoma cells (MIN6‐m9). In 48 hours of culture, the PDMS sheets produced aggregates whose diameters were strictly controlled (⋍32, 60, 90, 150 and 280 mm) even at an inoculum density eight times higher (8.0×105 cells/cm2) than that of normal confluent monolayers (1.0×105 cells/cm2). Measurement of the oxygen tension near the cell layer and glucose/lactate analysis clearly showed that cells exhibit aerobic respiration on the PDMS‐based culture system. Glucose‐responsive insulin secretion of the recovered aggregates showed that the aggregates around 90 mm in diameter secreted the largest amounts of insulin. This confirmed the advantages of 3D cellular organization and the existence of a suitable aggregate size, above which excess organization leads to a decreased metabolic response. These results demonstrated that this microwell‐based PDMS culture system provides a promising method to form size‐regulated and better functioning 3D cellular aggregates of various kinds of cells with a high yield per surface area.

Direct synthesis of cup-stacked carbon nanofiber microspheres by the catalytic pyrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol).

Uniformly sized microspheres tangled with cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs) were directly synthesized by the pyrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a nickel catalyst. A PEG/Ni membrane was prepared on a silicon wafer surface by heating it to 750 °C at a heating rate of 15 °C min(-1). The wafer was heated to a temperature of 400 °C and was held at that temperature for 1 h before raising the temperature to 750 °C for 10 min to form the CSCNF microspheres. The final CSCNF microspheres and the intermediates were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy to elucidate the growth mechanism. Furthermore, the CSCNF microspheres were successfully dispersed and maintained their spherical shape in an aqueous solution containing 0.5% Nafion. The CSCNF microspheres have the potential to work as a sophisticated carrier with high adsorption and fast electron-transfer exchange properties based on the graphene edges of the nanofiber surface.

Liver tissue engineering based on aggregate assembly: efficient formation of endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates and their immobilization with biodegradable fibres*

To realize long-term in vitro culture of hepatocytes at a high density while maintaining a high hepatic function for aggregate-based liver tissue engineering, we report here a novel culture method whereby endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates were formed using a PDMS microwell device and cultured in a perfusion bioreactor by introducing spacers between aggregates to improve oxygen and nutrient supply. Primary rat hepatocyte aggregates around 100 µm in diameter coated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells were spontaneously and quickly formed after 12 h of incubation, thanks to the continuous supply of oxygen by diffusion through the PDMS honeycomb microwell device. Then, the recovered endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates were mixed with biodegradable poly-l-lactic acid fibres in suspension and packed into a PDMS-based bioreactor. Perfusion culture of 7 days was successfully achieved with more than 73.8% cells retained in the bioreactor. As expected, the fibres acted as spacers between aggregates, which was evidenced from the enhanced albumin production and more spherical morphology compared with fibre-free packing. In summary, this study shows the advantages of using PDMS-based microwells to form heterotypic aggregates and also demonstrates the feasibility of spacing tissue elements for improving oxygen and nutrient supply to tissue engineering based on modular assembly.

The importance of physiological oxygen concentrations in the sandwich cultures of rat hepatocytes on gas-permeable membranes

Oxygen supply is a critical issue in the optimization of in vitro hepatocyte microenvironments. Although several strategies have been developed to balance complex oxygen requirements, these techniques are not able to accurately meet the cellular oxygen demand. Indeed, neither the actual oxygen concentration encountered by cells nor the cellular oxygen consumption rates (OCR) was assessed. The aim of this study is to define appropriate oxygen conditions at the cell level that could accurately match the OCR and allow hepatocytes to maintain liver specific functions in a normoxic environment. Matrigel overlaid rat hepatocytes were cultured on the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes under either atmospheric oxygen concentration [20%‐O2 (+)] or physiological oxygen concentrations [10%‐O2 (+), 5%‐O2 (+)], respectively, to investigate the effects of various oxygen concentrations on the efficient functioning of hepatocytes. In parallel, the gas‐impermeable cultures (polystyrene) with PDMS membrane inserts were used as the control groups [PS‐O2 (−)]. The results indicated that the hepatocytes under 10%‐O2 (+) exhibited improved survival and maintenance of metabolic activities and functional polarization. The dramatic elevation of cellular OCR up to the in vivo liver rate proposed a normoxic environment for hepatocytes, especially when comparing with PS‐O2 (−) cultures, in which the cells generally tolerated hypoxia. Additionally, the expression levels of 84 drug‐metabolism genes were the closest to physiological levels. In conclusion, this study clearly shows the benefit of long‐term culture of hepatocytes at physiological oxygen concentration, and indicates on an oxygen‐permeable membrane system to provide a simple method for in vitro studies.

Direct Electron Transfer Kinetics of Peroxidase at Edge Plane Sites of Cup-Stacked Carbon Nanofibers and Their Comparison with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Electron transfer kinetics at the graphene edge site is of great interest from the viewpoints of application to sensing and energy conversion and storage. Here we analyzed kinetics of direct electron transfer of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) adsorbed through surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate at cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs), which provide highly ordered graphene edges, and compared it with that at single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which consist of a rolled-up basal plane graphene. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant of the Fe(2+/3+) couple of the HRP reaction center at CSCNFs (ca. 34.8 s(-1)) was an order of magnitude larger than that at SWCNTs (ca. 4.7 s(-1)). In addition, the overall rate constant of the electron transfer reaction from CSCNFs to HRP oxidized by H2O2 was higher than that from SWCNTs by a factor of 3. CSCNFs also allowed enhancement of the complex-formation reaction rate of HRP with H2O2, in comparison with that at SWCNTs. CSCNFs would therefore be applied to not only biosensors but also biofuel cells with enhanced performance.

Electrochemical properties of seamless three-dimensional carbon nanotubes-grown graphene modified with horseradish peroxidase

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilized through sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the surface of a seamless three-dimensional hybrid of carbon nanotubes grown at the graphene surface (HRP-SDS/CNTs/G) and its electrochemical properties were investigated. Compared with graphene alone electrode modified with HRP via SDS (HRP-SDS/G electrode), the surface coverage of electroactive HRP at the CNTs/G electrode surface was approximately 2-fold greater because of CNTs grown at the graphene surface. Based on the increase in the surface coverage of electroactive HRP, the sensitivity to H2O2 at the HRP-SDS/CNTs/G electrode was higher than that at the HRP-SDS/G electrode. The kinetics of the direct electron transfer from the CNTs/G electrode to compound I and II of modified HRP was also analyzed.

Simultaneous evaluation of toxicities using a mammalian cell array chip prepared by photocatalytic lithography

A prototype of a mammalian cell array chip was developed on a flat glass surface. A superhydrophilic (water contact angle=5 degrees)/highly hydrophobic (120 degrees) pattern was prepared on a fluorinated polymer-coated glass surface by means of photocatalytic lithography, and A549 (a human alveolar epithelial cell line), Hep G2 (a human hepatoma cell line) and mouse fibroblast 3T3 cells were inoculated onto the superhydrophilic regions. The cell populations were confined in the superhydrophilic regions for at least 24 h and separated from each other for at least one week. Organ-specific toxicity of aflatoxin B(1) and non-specific toxicity of adriamycin were successfully detected by using the cell array chip.