Facile Fabrication of Injectable Alginate and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Based Soft Electrodes toward the Goal of Neuro-Regenerative Applications

Ivana Perkucin; Kylie S K Lau; Tianhao Chen; Stephanie N Iwasa; Hani E Naguib; Cindi M Morshead

doi:10.1002/adhm.202201164

Facile Fabrication of Injectable Alginate and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Based Soft Electrodes toward the Goal of Neuro-Regenerative Applications

Adv Healthc Mater. 2022 Dec;11(23):e2201164. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202201164. Epub 2022 Oct 14.

Authors

Ivana Perkucin¹, Kylie S K Lau², Tianhao Chen², Stephanie N Iwasa^{3

4}, Hani E Naguib^{2

5

6}, Cindi M Morshead^{2

3

4

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E5, Canada.
² Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.
³ The KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.
⁴ CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada.
⁵ Department of Materials Science Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E4, Canada.
⁶ Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada.
⁷ Department of Surgery, Division of Anatomy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1P5, Canada.

PMID: 36177684
DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201164

Abstract

Resident brain neural precursor cells (NPCs) are electrosensitive cells that respond to electric field application by proliferating, differentiating, and undergoing rapid and directed cathodal migration. Harnessing NPC potential is a promising strategy to facilitate neural repair following injury or disease. The use of electric fields to activate NPCs is limited by current electrode designs which are typically made of conductive metals that are stiff and can lead to neuroinflammation following implantation, in part due to the mechanical mismatch between physiological conditions and material. Herein, the design of a novel, injectable biobased soft electrode with properties suitable for electrical stimulation in vivo is explored. The recent interest in using biologically derived polymers which are relatively abundant and afford economic feasibility have been built upon. Sodium alginate is utilized to form soft hydrogels, thereby addressing the issue of mechanical mismatch, and the conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), to generate an innovative new material. It is demonstrated that the optimized alginate PEDOT blend matches the modulus of the brain and is suitable for injection and is not cytotoxic to neural cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies demonstrate minimal activation of inflammatory cells upon implantation in the brain compared to classically used platinum-based electrodes.

Keywords: alginate; microglia; minimally invasive surgery; poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene); regenerative medicine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alginates*
Neural Stem Cells*

Substances

Alginates
poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)