Since neurons were
first cultured outside a living organism
more
than a century ago, a number of experimental techniques for theirin vitromaintenance have been developed. These methods
have been further adapted and refined to study specific neurobiological
processes under controlled experimental conditions. Despite their
limitations, the simplicity and visual accessibility of 2D cultures
have enabled the study of the effects of trophic factors, adhesion
molecules, and biophysical stimuli on neuron function and morphology.
Nevertheless, the impact of fundamental properties of the surfaces
to which neurons adhere when culturedin vitrohas
not been sufficiently considered. Here, we used an electroactive polymer
with different electric poling states leading to different surface
charges to evaluate the impact of the net electric surface charge
on the behavior of primary neurons. Average negative and positive
surface charges promote increased metabolic activity and enhance the
maturation of primary neurons, demonstrating the relevance of considering
the composition and electric charge of the culture surfaces. These
findings further pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic
strategies for the regeneration of neural tissues, particularly based
on dynamic surface charge variation that can be induced in the electroactive
films through mechanical solicitation.