The electronic and optical properties of conjugated polymers and conjugated polyelectrolytes have attracted considerable research interest across a broad range of applications. Interfacing them with the lipid bilayer enables the engineering of interfaces with unique characteristics, facilitated by accessing the properties of each constituent material. Research done on these interfaces tap into a broad range of applications. Fundamental studies have been conducted to gain insight into the polymer interaction with a lipid membrane that mimics the biological cell. Bioimaging and biosensing devices have been developed, exploiting optical and superquenching properties of the polymer. Delivery systems based on these complexes were applied in photothermal therapy using the polymer high thermal conversion efficiency. This minireview presents a summary of this research, highlighting that while the field remains in its early development, conjugated polymer/polyelectrolyte interfaces hold huge potential for biomedical applications.
Organic bioelectronics based on conjugated polymers as the active electronic material have been shown to operate efficiently at the biointerface. Their translation into a commercial medical device will hinge on their long-term operation in vivo. This will require the device to be subjected to clinically approved sterilization techniques without deterioration in its physical and electronic properties. To date, there remains a gap in the literature addressing the impact of this critical preoperative procedure on the properties of conjugated polymers. This study aims to address this gap by assessing the physical and electronic properties of a sterilized porous bioelectronic patch having polyaniline as the conjugated polymer. The patch was sterilized by autoclave, ethylene oxide, and gamma (γ-) irradiation at 15, 25, and 50 kGy doses. Autoclaving resulted in cracking and macroscopic degradation of the patch, while patches sterilized by γ-irradiation at 50 kGy exhibited reduced mechanical and electronic properties, attributed to chain scission and nonuniform cross-linking caused by high dose irradiation. Ethylene oxide and γ-irradiation at 15 and 25 kGy sterilization appeared to be the most effective at maintaining the mechanical and electronic properties of the patch and inducing a minimal immune response as revealed by a receding fibrotic capsule after 4 week implantation. Our findings pave the way toward closing the gap for the translation of organic bioelectronic devices from acute to long-term in vivo models.
Interaction of conjugated polymers with liposomes is an attractive approach that benefits from both systems’ characteristics such as electroactivity and enhanced interaction with cells. Conjugated polymer‐liposome complexes have been investigated for bioimaging, drug delivery, and photothermal therapy. Their fabrication has largely been achieved by multistep procedures that require first the synthesis and processing of the conjugated polymer. Here, a new one step fabrication approach is reported based on in situ polymerization of a conjugated monomer precursor around liposomes. Polyaniline (PANI) doped with phytic acid is synthesized via oxidative polymerization in the presence of 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) vesicles to produce a conductive aqueous suspension of Liposome‐PANI complexes. PANI interacts with liposomes without disrupting the bilayer as shown using differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence quenching studies of the hydrophobic Nile red probe. The electronic conductivity of the Liposome‐PANI complexes, which stems from the doped PANI accessible on the liposome surface, is confirmed using conductive atomic force microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Further, short‐term in vitro cell studies show that the complexes colocalize with the cell membrane without reducing cell proliferation. This study presents a novel fabrication route to conductive suspensions of conjugated polymer‐liposome complexes suitable for potential applications at the biointerface.
Translation into the clinic of organic bioelectronic devices having conjugated polymers as the active material will hinge on their long-term operation in vivo. This will require the device to be subject to clinically approved sterilization techniques without a deterioration in its physical and electronic properties. To date, there remains a gap in the literature addressing the impact of this critical pre-operative procedure on the properties of conjugated polymers. This study aims to address this gap by assessing the physical and electronic properties of a sterilized porous bioelectronic patch having polyaniline as the conjugated polymer. The patch was sterilized by autoclave, ethylene oxide and gamma (γ-) irradiation at 15, 25, and 50 kGy doses. Autoclaving resulted in cracking and macroscopic degradation of the patch, while patches sterilized by γ-irradiation at 50 kGy exhibited reduced mechanical and electronic properties, attributed to chain scission and non-uniform crosslinking caused by the high dose irradiation. Ethylene oxide and γ-irradiation at 15 and 25 kGy sterilization appeared to be the most effective at maintaining the mechanical and electronic properties of the patch, as well as inducing a minimal immune response as revealed by a receding fibrotic capsule after 4 weeks implantation. Our findings pave the way towards closing the gap for the translation of organic bioelectronic devices from acute to long-term in vivo models.
In article numer 20200081, Damia Mawad and co‐workers highlight the importance of coupling conjugated polymers and conjugated polyelectrolytes with the lipid bilayer to engineer interfaces with unique characteristics, facilitated by accessing the properties of each constituent material. Conjugated polymers provide optical and electronic properties, whereas the lipid bilayer mimics the biological cell, enabling fusion with the cell membrane. The cover summarises how utilising these conjugated polymer‐liposome complexes to establish an intimate electronic connection with the cell membrane holds great potential, providing the possibility to access and control, via electronic conductivity, cell membrane structures in electroconductive tissue such as the heart and brain.
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