Department of Bionanosystem Engineering, Graduate School, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea.
Department of Bionanotechnology and Bioconvergence Engineering, Graduate School, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2022 May 9;8(5):1975-1986. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01171. Epub 2022 Apr 22.
Biophysical cues are key distinguishing characteristics that influence tissue development and regeneration, and significant efforts have been made to alter the cellular behavior by means of cell-substrate interactions and external stimuli. Electrically conductive nanofibers are capable of treating bone defects since they closely mimic the fibrillar architecture of the bone matrix and deliver the endogenous and exogenous electric fields required to direct cell activities. Nevertheless, previous studies on conductive polymer-based scaffolds have been limited to polypyrrole, polyaniline, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). In the present study, chemically synthesized polythiophene nanoparticles (PTh NPs) are incorporated into polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers, and subsequent changes in physicochemical, mechanical, and electrical properties are observed in a concentration-dependent manner. In murine preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1), we examine how substrate properties modified by adding PTh NPs contribute to changes in the cellular behavior, including viability, proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization. Additionally, we determine that external electrical stimulation (ES) mediated by PTh NPs positively affects such osteogenic responses. Together, our results provide insights into polythiophene's potential as an electroconductive composite scaffold material.
生物物理线索是影响组织发育和再生的关键特征，人们已经做出了巨大努力，通过细胞-基质相互作用和外部刺激来改变细胞行为。导电纳米纤维能够治疗骨缺损，因为它们非常类似于骨基质的纤维状结构，并提供引导细胞活动所需的内源性和外源性电场。然而，基于导电聚合物的支架的先前研究仅限于聚吡咯、聚苯胺和聚（3,4-亚乙基二氧噻吩）（PEDOT）。在本研究中，将化学合成的聚噻吩纳米颗粒（PTh NPs）掺入聚己内酯（PCL）纳米纤维中，并以浓度依赖的方式观察到物理化学、机械和电性能的后续变化。在鼠前成骨细胞（MC3T3-E1）中，我们研究了添加 PTh NPs 所修饰的基底性质如何导致细胞行为的变化，包括活力、增殖、分化和矿化。此外，我们确定由 PTh NPs 介导的外部电刺激（ES）对成骨反应有积极影响。总之，我们的结果提供了有关聚噻吩作为电导电复合支架材料的潜力的见解。
