Chen Huai-An, Lee Ching-Yu, Huang Bo-Jun, Tu Kai-Yun, Sung Pei-Hsuan, Hoang Le Ngoc, Tseng Ching-Li
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Shuang-Ho Campus, No.301, Yuantong Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City 23564, Taiwan.
Department of Orthopedics, Taipei Medical University Hospital, No. 252, Wuxing Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan.
ACS Omega. 2025 Jul 17;10(29):31693-31705. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c02628. eCollection 2025 Jul 29.
Conductive cryogel is a new form of biomaterial that provides additional electrical properties, expanding its applications in biomedical engineering, particularly in tissue regeneration, such as neural and muscle tissues, and in drug-delivery systems. In this study, the gelatin cryogels (GCs) incorporating the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS (PGC) at an optimal ratio (PGC2) could achieve suitable conductivity as an electrically responsive scaffold applied for controlled drug release. The characterization results demonstrated that PGC2 exhibited a well-defined porous structure (90-190 μm), a favorable water uptake capacity (2738.4%), degradability (26.1% degradation after 24 h), and reversible deformability upon compression, demonstrating its suitability for minimally invasive procedures via injection. The electron-transfer capability and higher conductivity of PGC2 were also confirmed by examining the electrochemical properties, which revealed a lower impedance (0.0174 MΩ) compared to nonconductive GC2 (0.0208 MΩ). Additionally, drug release tests revealed that drugs contained in PGC2 as electrically responsive scaffolds had a higher release response to electrical stimulation (ES) (23%) compared to the one without ES (7%). Cytocompatibility assays revealed that NIH-3T3 cells cocultured on PGC2 and those cultured with a PGC2 extraction solution exhibited cell viability above 70%, indicating nontoxicity, as confirmed by a WST-1 assay and a live/dead staining assay. Overall, PGC2 represents a promising biomaterial with injectability, conductivity, and cytocompatibility, offering potential applications in regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and bioelectronic scaffolding.
导电冷冻凝胶是一种新型生物材料,具有额外的电学特性,拓展了其在生物医学工程中的应用,特别是在组织再生领域,如神经和肌肉组织,以及药物递送系统中。在本研究中,以最佳比例掺入导电聚合物PEDOT:PSS的明胶冷冻凝胶(PGC)(PGC2)可实现合适的导电性,作为用于控制药物释放的电响应支架。表征结果表明,PGC2呈现出明确的多孔结构(90 - 190μm)、良好的吸水能力(2738.4%)、可降解性(24小时后降解26.1%)以及压缩时的可逆变形性,表明其适用于通过注射进行的微创手术。通过检测电化学性质也证实了PGC2的电子转移能力和更高的导电性,结果显示与非导电的GC2(0.0208MΩ)相比,其阻抗更低(0.0174MΩ)。此外,药物释放测试表明,作为电响应支架的PGC2中所含药物对电刺激(ES)的释放响应(23%)高于无电刺激时(7%)。细胞相容性分析表明,在PGC2上共培养的NIH - 3T3细胞以及用PGC2提取液培养的细胞,其细胞活力均高于70%,经WST - 1分析和活/死染色分析证实无毒。总体而言,PGC2是一种具有可注射性、导电性和细胞相容性的有前景的生物材料,在再生医学、药物递送和生物电子支架方面具有潜在应用。