A chemically polymerized electrically conducting composite of polypyrrole nanoparticles and polyurethane for tissue engineering

Abstract

A variety of cell types respond to electrical stimuli, accordingly many conducting polymers (CPs) have been used as tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds, one such CP is polypyrrole (PPy). PPy is a well studied biomaterial with potential TE applications due to its electrical conductivity and many other beneficial properties. Combining its characteristics with an elastomeric material, such as polyurethane (PU), may yield a hybrid scaffold with electrical activity and significant mechanical resilience. Pyrrole was in situ polymerized within a PU emulsion mixture in weight ratios of 1:100, 1:20, 1:10 and 1:5, respectively. Morphology, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and cytocompatibility with C2C12 myoblast cells were characterized. The polymerization resulted in a composite with a principle base of PU interspersed with an electrically percolating network of PPy nanoparticles. As the mass ratio of PPy to PU increased so did electrical conductivity of the composites. In addition, as the mass ratio of PPy to PU increased, stiffness of the composite increased while maximum elongation length decreased. Ultimate tensile strength was reduced by approximately 47% across all samples with the addition of PPy to the PU base. Cytocompatibility assay data indicated no significant cytotoxic effect from the composites. Static cellular seeding of C2C12 cells and subsequent differentiation showed myotube formation on the composite materials.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate)/dopamine‐coated electrodes for dopamine delivery

“…Conducting polymers have a wide range of application based on their electrical, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. These materials have been used for biomedical purposes including neuroprostheses, biosensors and bioactuators, as tissue engineering scaffolds and as drug delivery systems . One of the most biomedical applications of conducting polymers which have been explored is as biomaterial coatings for electronic biomedical devices .…”

The Effects of Electrical Stimulation Mediated by Conductive Polymer on Hypothalamic Neurons as a Potential Model of Schizophrenia

“…Polypyrrole (Ppy) is one of the most extensively studied conductive polymers (CPs) due to its ease of synthesis and surface modifications, high conductivity and its biocompatibility with various cell types [1]. Furthermore, the unique mechanical, electrical and chemical properties of CPs, which may be further enhanced with dopants, make these materials attractive for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery and biosensors [2][3].…”

Biomedical applications of electrically conductive polymeric systems

“…Runge, Yaszemski et al [63,64] used such composites, as well, as their oligo polyethylene glycol analogues for nerve regeneration. Mechanically resilient electroactive scaffold was prepared by Broda, Schmidt et al [65]. ethanol, pressed to 1mm thickness and dried in vacuum.…”