Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Nat Methods. 2023 Nov;20(11):1802-1809. doi: 10.1038/s41592-023-02020-9. Epub 2023 Oct 19.
We develop soft and stretchable fatigue-resistant hydrogel optical fibers that enable optogenetic modulation of peripheral nerves in naturally behaving animals during persistent locomotion. The formation of polymeric nanocrystalline domains within the hydrogels yields fibers with low optical losses of 1.07 dB cm, Young's modulus of 1.6 MPa, stretchability of 200% and fatigue strength of 1.4 MPa against 30,000 stretch cycles. The hydrogel fibers permitted light delivery to the sciatic nerve, optogenetically activating hindlimb muscles in Thy1::ChR2 mice during 6-week voluntary wheel running assays while experiencing repeated deformation. The fibers additionally enabled optical inhibition of pain hypersensitivity in an inflammatory model in TRPV1::NpHR mice over an 8-week period. Our hydrogel fibers offer a motion-adaptable and robust solution to peripheral nerve optogenetics, facilitating the investigation of somatosensation.
我们开发了柔软、可拉伸、抗疲劳的水凝胶光纤，可在自然运动的动物中对周围神经进行光遗传调节。水凝胶内形成的聚合纳米晶畴使光纤具有低损耗（1.07 dB/cm）、杨氏模量（1.6 MPa）、200%的拉伸性和 30000 次拉伸循环的疲劳强度（1.4 MPa）。水凝胶光纤可以将光输送到坐骨神经，在 Thy1::ChR2 小鼠进行 6 周的自愿轮跑试验时，通过重复变形来光遗传激活后肢肌肉。这些光纤还可以在 TRPV1::NpHR 小鼠的炎症模型中，在 8 周的时间内抑制痛觉过敏。我们的水凝胶光纤为周围神经光遗传学提供了一种适应运动的、稳健的解决方案，促进了对躯体感觉的研究。
