Abstract
The design of chemically well-defined, machinable surfaces containing neuroactive molecules offers potential for fundamental neuroscience and clinical neural engineering applications. Here we report the assembly and characterization of silicon platforms containing a tethered form of muscimol. Muscimol, an analog of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is a potent agonist at postsynaptic GABAA and GABA C receptors. Surfaces were assembled using covalent avidin conjugation to silanized silicon followed by high-affinity avidin-biotin binding of a biotinylated derivative of muscimol (muscimol-biotin). Contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to characterize the wettability, thickness, and chemical composition of progressively deposited surface layers. The data demonstrate successful incorporation of a neurotransmitter analog as part of a layered, silicon-based structure possessing robust and specific biomolecular composition. These findings represent a step toward the design of platforms for applications involving control and modulation of neural signaling.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 669-674 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biotechnology and Bioengineering |
Volume | 87 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 5 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Avidin-biotin
- BioMEMS
- Muscimol
- Neurotransmitter
- Silicon
- Surface analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- Bioengineering
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology