Carbon on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) ink-jet printed sensor for monitoring cell cultures of myoblasts

Nowadays techniques for sensitive non-invasive, real-time monitoring of cell differentiation and maturation are highly demanded. In light of this, the development of electrochemical printed sensors impedance-based could represent a promising tool. In the present work, we developed 2D ink-jet printed sensors for myoblasts adhesion monitoring, using carbon-based ink on a substrate consisting in non-woven electrospun mats made in crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). First of all, sensors printability was optimized and the biocompatibility tested. In order to determine the possibility to employ the prepared systems as scaffolds for dynamic cellular cultures, the mechanical response of the PCL scaffold was evaluated through the application of cyclic deformation tests. After that, electrical characterization of ink and substrate was performed, followed by electrochemical impedance-based measurements to evaluate myoblasts adhesion. Biocompatibility assessment showed good results for both carbon and PCL. Mechanical tests findings suggested that a training of 50 cycles and a proper value of strain should be applied before the cell seeding, in order to ensure a subsequent controlled strain amplitude. The sensorized scaffold allowed us to correlate cell adhesion with an increase of impedance module, in agreement with biocompatibility testing. Thus, this first preliminary testing suggested that this non-invasive impedance spectroscopy-based measurement system can be used for sensitive monitoring of cells adhesion, in static and moreover, as suggested from mechanical characterization, in dynamic conditions.