Electrochemical modulation of epithelia formation using conducting polymers

Abstract

Conducting polymers are soft, flexible materials, exhibiting material properties that can be reversibly changed by electrochemically altering the redox state. Surface chemistry is an important determinant for the molecular events of cell adhesion. Therefore, we analyzed whether the redox state of the conducting polymer PEDOT:Tosylate can be used to control epithelial cell adhesion and proliferation. A functionalized cell culture dish comprising two adjacent electrode surfaces was developed. Upon electronic addressing, reduced and oxidized surfaces are created within the same device. Simultaneous analysis of how a homogenous epithelial MDCK cell population responded to the electrodes revealed distinct surface-specific

Tunable conjugated polymers for bacterial differentiation

“…They have been used for bio-sensing [5][6][7], as electrodes for stimulation or recording [8,9], for controlling cell adhesion, proliferation [10][11][12] and stem-cell differentiation [13], for controlled drug release [14,15] and even to mechanically stimulate cells [16]. They can be fabricated electrochemically using various counter ions [17,18] and modified with a variety of biomolecules [5,6,19].…”

Quantifying fibronectin adhesion with nanoscale spatial resolution on glycosaminoglycan doped polypyrrole using Atomic Force Microscopy

“…The prelude to this work was demonstrated by the ability to electrically control cell adhesion using conducting polymers 15,16 . More recently, several groups have undertaken studies that implicate the role of ECM proteins in mediating cell interactions with conducting polymers 17,18 . Electrical stimulation of PEDOT:PSS films prior to cell seeding has shown that the oxidation state of the polymer affects cell viability 17 .…”

“…More recently, several groups have undertaken studies that implicate the role of ECM proteins in mediating cell interactions with conducting polymers 17,18 . Electrical stimulation of PEDOT:PSS films prior to cell seeding has shown that the oxidation state of the polymer affects cell viability 17 . Reduced PEDOT:PSS promoted cellular adhesion and proliferation of epithelial MDCK cells, while oxidation of PEDOT:PSS resulted in cell detachment and death.…”

“…In many of the above studies on conducting polymers, the ensemble of the protein interaction, or bulk processes of protein adsorption, is measured using fluorescence-based approaches 17,18,19 and QCM 22 . The bulk information is then often extrapolated down to interactions at the molecular level, which may be difficult.…”

“…surface potential and conductivity) 29,30 , that have been shown to display nanoscale lateral variation are expected to amplify variations in the conformation and adhesion of individual proteins across the polymer surface. Whilst the above studies have focused on conformation 17,20,21 , the FN-polymer interfacial forces are also interest as they play an important role in force-dependent signal transduction processes such as cellular forces exerted on FN through cell receptors and intracellular proteins to regulate cell function.…”