Wirelessly triggered bioactive molecule delivery from degradable electroactive polymer films

Abstract

The development of stimuli‐responsive drug delivery systems offers significant opportunities for innovations in industry. It is possible to produce polymer‐based drug delivery devices enabling spatiotemporal control of the release of the drug triggered by an electrical stimulus. Here we describe the development of a wireless controller for drug delivery from conductive/electroactive polymer‐based biomaterials and demonstrate its function in vitro. The wireless polymer conduction controller device uses very low power, operating at 2.4 GHz, and has a supply voltage controller circuit which controls electrical stimulation voltage levels. The computer graphical user interface program communicates with the controller device, and it receives device information, device status and temperature data from the controller device. The prototype of the wireless controller system can trigger the delivery of a drug, dexamethasone phosphate, from a matrix of degradable electroactive polymers. Furthermore, we introduce the application of in silico toxicity screening as a potentially useful method to facilitate the design of non‐toxic degradable electroactive polymers for a multitude of biotechnological applications, addressing one of the key commercial challenges to biomaterial development, in accordance with ‘safe by design’ principles. © 2020 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Industrial Chemistry.

Electrically Conductive and 3D‐Printable Oxidized Alginate‐Gelatin Polypyrrole:PSS Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

“…The safety data sheets for the starting materials and products (FeCl 3 , Py, PPy, and PSS) show FeCl 3 to be a corrosive irritant that is toxic to aquatic life, and Py is corrosive and could be toxic if swallowed, however, PPy and PSS are nontoxic. In silico toxicity screening studies of the starting materials and products (FeCl 3 , Py, PPy, and PSS, Table S1, Supporting Information) using Derek Nexus (Derek Nexus: 6.0.1, Nexus: 2.2.2) [ 61,62 ] demonstrated they were nonsensitizers of skin, and in silico mutagenicity screening studies using Sarah Nexus (Sarah Nexus: 3.0.0, Sarah Model: 2.0) demonstrated they were non‐mutagenic. Complementary in vitro studies were undertaken using ATDC‐5 cells seeded on ADA‐GEL and 3D‐printed 0.1 m PPy‐ADA‐GEL (3D AG‐PPy:PSS) scaffolds to determine the cytocompatibility of and cell‐seeding efficiency on the modified ADA‐GEL ( Figure ).…”

Recent Progress on Electroactive Polymers: Synthesis, Properties and Applications

“…Polymer-based drugs can deliver necessary doses to patients with a controlled release. This is possible by electrical stimulation of the polymer coating, which in turn will allow for a proper amount of the drug to be released at specific times [130]. This process requires a very low amount of power and operates at a low voltage to make it safer for humans.…”

“…These electroactive polymers are biodegradable and maintain safe conditions for humans. This process is beneficial since it can release the drug at more advantageous times to avoid potentially harmful side effects [130]. Current progress shows tremendous potential and more research is ongoing to ensure reliability of such applications [132].…”

Electroresponsive Silk-Based Biohybrid Composites for Electrochemically Controlled Growth Factor Delivery

“…Electrical stimulation in particular can offer control over drug delivery according to the strength, duration and frequency of the applied field. Consequently, electroconductive/active biomaterials have received great attention in recent years for wound healing and tissue engineering applications due to their potential to allow direct delivery of electrical signals, which are stimulatory to cells/tissues and further trigger a controlled/responsive release of therapeutics to the site of interest [4], potentially wirelessly [5]. Responsiveness to an electric field is an inherent feature of electroconductive/active materials, and their properties can be tailored to suit the delivery of various pharmacological agents and biomolecules.…”