During natural tissue regeneration, tissue microenvironment and stem cell niche including cell–cell interaction, soluble factors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) provide a train of biochemical and biophysical cues for modulation of cell behaviors and tissue functions. Design of functional biomaterials to mimic the tissue/cell microenvironment have great potentials for tissue regeneration applications. Recently, electroactive biomaterials have drawn increasing attentions not only as scaffolds for cell adhesion and structural support, but also as modulators to regulate cell/tissue behaviors and function, especially for electrically excitable cells and tissues. More importantly, electrostimulation can further modulate a myriad of biological processes, from cell cycle, migration, proliferation and differentiation to neural conduction, muscle contraction, embryogenesis, and tissue regeneration. In this review, endogenous bioelectricity and piezoelectricity are introduced. Then, design rationale of electroactive biomaterials is discussed for imitating dynamic cell microenvironment, as well as their mediated electrostimulation and the applying pathways. Recent advances in electroactive biomaterials are systematically overviewed for modulation of stem cell fate and tissue regeneration, mainly including nerve regeneration, bone tissue engineering, and cardiac tissue engineering. Finally, the significance for simulating the native tissue microenvironment is emphasized and the open challenges and future perspectives of electroactive biomaterials are concluded.
Ultrasound
(US)-triggered sonodynamic therapy (SDT) based on semiconductor
nanomaterials has attracted considerable attention for cancer therapy.
However, most inorganic sonosensitizers suffer from low efficiency
due to the rapid recombination of electron–hole pairs. Herein,
the Cu2–x
O–BaTiO3 piezoelectric heterostructure was fabricated as a sonosensitizer
and chemodynamic agent, simultaneously, for improving reactive oxygen
species (ROS) generation and cancer therapeutic outcome. Under US
irradiation, the Cu2–x
O–BaTiO3 heterojunction with a piezotronic effect exhibits high-performance
singlet oxygen (1O2) and hydroxyl radical (•OH)
generation to enhance SDT. Moreover, it possesses Fenton-like reaction
activity to convert endogenous H2O2 into •OH
for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The integration of SDT and CDT substantially
boosts ROS generation and cellular mitochondria damage, and the in
vitro and in vivo results demonstrate high cytotoxicity and tumor
inhibition on murine refractory breast cancer. This work realizes
improvement in cancer therapy using piezoelectric heterostructures
with piezotronic effects.
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