Programmable and on-demand drug release using electrical stimulation

Abstract

Recent advancement in microfabrication has enabled the implementation of implantable drug delivery devices with precise drug administration and fast release rates at specific locations. This article presents a membrane-based drug delivery device, which can be electrically stimulated to release drugs on demand with a fast release rate. Hydrogels with ionic model drugs are sealed in a cylindrical reservoir with a separation membrane. Electrokinetic forces are then utilized to drive ionic drug molecules from the hydrogels into surrounding bulk solutions. The drug release profiles of a model drug show that release rates from the device can be electrically controlled by adjusting the stimulated voltage. When a square voltage wave is applied, the device can be quickly switched between on and off to achieve pulsatile release. The drug dose released is then determined by the duration and amplitude of the applied voltages. In addition, successive on/off cycles can be programmed in the voltage waveforms to generate consistent and repeatable drug release pulses for on-demand drug delivery. V C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Electrochemically triggered release of human insulin from an insulin-impregnated reduced graphene oxide modified electrode

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Besides temperature, pH and light, which have been widely used, electrical [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] and electrochemical [13][14][15][16] stimuli are particularly appealing. This stems from enabling precise control of the release kinetics upon varying the time and scale of applied electrical currents and potentials in a reversible manner under physiological conditions.…”

Coupled Processes in Charged Porous Media: From Theory to Applications

“…An example of a more complicated drug delivery system is an osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system (Malaterre et al 2009), which involves encapsulating a hydrogel in a rigid, semipermeable outer membrane that allows fluid to enter in, building up the osmotic pressure inside, which then pushes the drug out of the capsule through small laser holes that have been drilled into the outer membrane. In more recent years, electrical stimulation has been used to release a drug from an implanted osmotic-controlled release device resulting in a system that can administer a precise drug amount at a given time and location (Yi et al 2015). At the microscale, these mechanisms are a consequence of the solid polymer having a slightly charged surface, resulting in hydration by water, or in the case of the on-demand release mechanism, an electric field that affects the deformation of the polymer.…”

Design, Fabrication and Characterization of Magnetic Porous PDMS as an On-Demand Drug Delivery Device

“…proposed based on hydrogel, where drug delivery occurs by applying an electrical field through the hydrogel matrix [21]. The electrical field either forces the entrapped ionized drug particles to expel [22] or leads the hydrogel to deswell and liberate the drug [23]. Even though pulsatile ondemand release has been attained in recently proposed methods, power and wiring connections act as limiting factors which restrict their usage, especially when it comes to implantation.…”