Electrical field stimulated modulation of cell fate of pre‐osteoblasts on PVDF/BT/MWCNT based electroactive biomaterials

The present study reports the impact of the interplay between electroactive properties of the biomaterials and electrical stimulation (ES) toward the cell proliferation, migration and maturation of osteoprogenitors (preosteoblasts; MC3T3‐E1) on the electroactive poly (vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF)‐based composites. The barium titanate (BaTiO3; BT; 30 wt%) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT; 3 wt%) were introduced into the PVDF via melt mixing, which led to an enhancement of the dielectric permittivity, electrical conductivity, and surface roughness. We also present the design and development of an in‐house customized 12‐well plate‐based device for providing different types (DC, square, biphasic) of ES to cells in culture in a programmable manner. In the presence of ES of 1 V cm−1, biophysical stimulation experiments performed using 12‐well plate‐based device revealed that PVDF composite (PVDF/30BT/3MWCNT) can facilitate the enhanced adhesion and proliferation of the MC3T3‐E1 in non‐osteogenic media, with respect to non‐stimulated conditions. Importantly, MC3T3‐E1 cells demonstrated significantly better migration and differentiation on the PVDF/30BT/3MWCNT under ES when compared to ES‐free culture conditions. Similar enhancement with respect to alkaline phosphatase activity, intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and calcium deposition in MC3T3‐E1 cells was recorded, when pre‐osteoblasts were grown for 21 days on electroactive substrates. All these observations supported the activation of osteo‐differentiation fates, which were further promoted in the osteogenic medium. The present study demonstrates that the synergistic interactions of ES with piezoelectric PVDF‐based polymer composite can potentially enhance the proliferation, migration, and osteogenesis of the pre‐osteoblast cells, rendering it a promising bioengineering strategy for bone tissue engineering.