OICC Press Progress in Biomaterials 2194-0517 14 04 2025 12 31 Graphene Oxide and Quantum Dot-Enhanced Alginate Scaffolds: Structural, Mechanical, and Biological Correlations for Neural Tissue Engineering Applications 10.57647/pibm.2025.1403.36 EN Hanieh Shomali Department of biomedical engineering, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Hamta Rahmatipour Department of biomedical engineering, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Soheila Zamanlui Benisi Department of biomedical engineering, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Salar Mohammadi Shabestari Department of Polymer, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Matin Mahmoudifard Department of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 12 31 The integration of graphene-based nanomaterials into biopolymeric scaffolds offers a promising route to enhance mechanical, physicochemical, and biological performance for neural tissue engineering. In this work, alginate-based scaffolds incorporating graphene oxide (GO) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were fabricated via modified Hummer’s and hydrothermal methods, respectively, at varying concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that GO increased surface roughness and formed interconnected porous networks, promoting superior cell adhesion and infiltration, while GQDs enhanced porosity but contributed less to mechanical reinforcement. Compressive strength improved significantly in GOcontaining scaffolds (7 kPa) compared to GQDs (3 kPa), correlating with higher in vitro cell proliferation and adhesion. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) confirmed nanomaterial integration into the alginate matrix. Swelling and degradation assays indicated faster degradation for AL-GQDs scaffolds, whereas conductivity testing showed higher electrical performance in GQDs-based scaffolds due to quantum confinement effects. Gene expression analysis revealed significant upregulation of PLCB1 and TRPV1 in AL-GO scaffolds, highlighting microarchitecture-mediated mechanotransduction. The presence of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) suppressed gene expression; however, AL-GO scaffolds maintained higher functional expression levels. Overall, scaffold and nanomaterial selection were shown to critically shape cellular responses, making AL-GOscaffolds promising candidates for neural tissue engineering.