Cytotoxicity Assessment of SH-SY5Y Cells Grown on Graphene Sheet

We investigate the effect of cell culture conditions, using pristine graphene sheets as growth substrate, on the human nerve cell line (SH-SY5Y). In order to evaluate cell viability and morphology, we applied the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and fluorescence microscopy of cells stained with Hochest 33342 and Calcein AM. Human nerve cells exhibited 84% viability on pristine graphene sheets compared with control (cell culture polystyrene) after 3 days culturing. Fluorescence data showed that the presence of graphene did not influence cell morphology. These results suggest that graphene sheets may be used for biological applications.