Skillin Nathaniel P, Kirkpatrick Bruce E, Friend Nicole E, Perry Amy R, McCracken Joselle M, Escobar Melvin Colorado, Nelson Benjamin R, Day Nathaniel L, Hume Patrick S, Rajab Taufiek Konrad, Anseth Kristi S, White Timothy J
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
The BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
Cell Biomater. 2025 Mar 25;1(2). doi: 10.1016/j.celbio.2025.100022. Epub 2025 Mar 17.
Medical implants with fixed geometry have many clinical applications but are limited by the dynamic nature of human physiology. To overcome this barrier, focus has shifted to stimuli-responsive materials capable of changing their geometry on demand, such as liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs). Here, we report on the development and biological performance of LCE-gold nanorod (LCE-AuNR) nanocomposites engineered for use in optically reconfigurable medical devices. First, we maximized the strain response and force output of 3D-printed LCE-AuNR within a physiologically relevant temperature window of 37°C-50°C. LCE-AuNR are shown to be cytocompatible and induce a comparable foreign body response to medical grade silicone when implanted subcutaneously in mice. Upon transcutaneous near-infrared irradiation, implanted LCE-AuNR exhibit rapid and reversible photothermal actuation. Furthermore, controlled photothermal actuation does not result in the pathology of adjacent tissues. This approach opens new horizons for designing dynamic medical implants across a wide range of clinical applications.
具有固定几何形状的医用植入物有许多临床应用，但受人体生理动态特性的限制。为克服这一障碍，研究重点已转向能够按需改变其几何形状的刺激响应材料，如液晶弹性体（LCE）。在此，我们报告了用于光学可重构医疗设备的LCE-金纳米棒（LCE-AuNR）纳米复合材料的开发及其生物学性能。首先，我们在37°C至50°C的生理相关温度窗口内，使3D打印的LCE-AuNR的应变响应和力输出最大化。当皮下植入小鼠体内时，LCE-AuNR显示出细胞相容性，并引发与医用级硅胶相当的异物反应。经皮近红外照射后，植入的LCE-AuNR表现出快速且可逆的光热驱动。此外，可控的光热驱动不会导致相邻组织病变。这种方法为设计适用于广泛临床应用的动态医用植入物开辟了新视野。
