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Nascimento ATD, Mendes AX, Duchi S, Duc D, Aguilar LC, Quigley AF, Kapsa RMI, Nisbet DR, Stoddart PR, Silva SM, Moulton SE. Wired for Success: Probing the Effect of Tissue-Engineered Neural Interface Substrates on Cell Viability. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:3775-3791. [PMID: 38722625 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the electrochemical behavior of GelMA-based hydrogels and their interactions with PC12 neural cells under electrical stimulation in the presence of conducting substrates. Focusing on indium tin oxide (ITO), platinum, and gold mylar substrates supporting conductive scaffolds composed of hydrogel, graphene oxide, and gold nanorods, we explored how the substrate materials affect scaffold conductivity and cell viability. We examined the impact of an optimized electrical stimulation protocol on the PC12 cell viability. According to our findings, substrate selection significantly influences conductive hydrogel behavior, affecting cell viability and proliferation as a result. In particular, the ITO substrates were found to provide the best support for cell viability with an average of at least three times higher metabolic activity compared to platinum and gold mylar substrates over a 7 day stimulation period. The study offers new insights into substrate selection as a platform for neural cell stimulation and underscores the critical role of substrate materials in optimizing the efficacy of neural interfaces for biomedical applications. In addition to extending existing work, this study provides a robust platform for future explorations aimed at tailoring the full potential of tissue-engineered neural interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Teixeira do Nascimento
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - Alexandre X Mendes
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - Serena Duchi
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - Daniela Duc
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Lilith C Aguilar
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- The Graeme Clark Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Anita F Quigley
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- School of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - Robert M I Kapsa
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- School of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - David R Nisbet
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- The Graeme Clark Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Paul R Stoddart
- School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Saimon M Silva
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, The Biomedical and Environmental Sensor Technology Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Simon E Moulton
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
- The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3065, Australia
- Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
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Reynolds M, Stoy LM, Sun J, Opoku Amponsah PE, Li L, Soto M, Song S. Fabrication of Sodium Trimetaphosphate-Based PEDOT:PSS Conductive Hydrogels. Gels 2024; 10:115. [PMID: 38391444 PMCID: PMC10888113 DOI: 10.3390/gels10020115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Conductive hydrogels are highly attractive for biomedical applications due to their ability to mimic the electrophysiological environment of biological tissues. Although conducting polymer polythiophene-poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) alone exhibit high conductivity, the addition of other chemical compositions could further improve the electrical and mechanical properties of PEDOT:PSS, providing a more promising interface with biological tissues. Here we study the effects of incorporating crosslinking additives, such as glycerol and sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP), in developing interpenetrating PEDOT:PSS-based conductive hydrogels. The addition of glycerol at a low concentration maintained the PEDOT:PSS conductivity with enhanced wettability but decreased the mechanical stiffness. Increasing the concentration of STMP allowed sufficient physical crosslinking with PEDOT:PSS, resulting in improved hydrogel conductivity, wettability, and rheological properties without glycerol. The STMP-based PEDOT:PSS conductive hydrogels also exhibited shear-thinning behaviors, which are potentially favorable for extrusion-based 3D bioprinting applications. We demonstrate an interpenetrating conducting polymer hydrogel with tunable electrical and mechanical properties for cellular interactions and future tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelyn Reynolds
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Lindsay M Stoy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Jindi Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | | | - Lin Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Misael Soto
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Shang Song
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Neuroscience GIDP, and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
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