The Effects of Carbon and Gold Ion Implanted Surfaces on Neuronal StemCellsâ Functions

Biomaterials have been used in medicine for decades to improve the functions of tissues and organs. They are also used as prosthesis and implants which are designed to substitute functions of a lacking organ or tissue. Carbon (C) and Gold (Au) were particularly chosen due to their biocompatibility and applied as implants for decades. Carbon and gold were great ion sources for medical applications, as well. In this study, polystyrene dishes were modified using gold and carbon ions via ion implantation technique. Using this surface modification method, it was aimed to improve surface characteristics and achieve a bioactive surface for neural stem cells. Even though the integration of stem cells was promising, neural stem cell studies still have many milestones to reach. Neuro-regeneration was the most desired function for people who suffer from neural system diseases. Changing surface characteristics of scaffolds was a way to promote regeneration and ion implantation was one of the methods to modify surface properties which play a huge role in enhancing the proliferation and integration of cells. In this study, it was observed that the ion implantation stimulated the neural proliferation and the implantation of different ions on cell culture surfaces was essential to determine the effects of this technique on adhesion, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis properties of cells in details.