Carbon Nanotube/Conducting Polymer Hybrid Nanofibers as Novel Organic Bioelectronic Interfaces for Efficient Removal of Protein-Bound Uremic Toxins

Abstract

Protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) can cause noxious effects in patients suffering from renal failure as a result of inhibiting the transport of proteins and inducing their structural modification. They are difficult to remove through standard hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Herein, we report an organic bioelectronic HD device system for the effective removal of PBUTs through electrically triggered dissociation of protein–toxin complexes. To prepare this system, we employed electrospinning to fabricate electrically conductive quaternary composite nanofiber matscomprising multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), poly­(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)­trimethoxysilane (GOPS)on conventional polyethersulfone (PES) dialysis membranes. These composite nanofiber platforms exhibited (i) long-term water resistance (due to cross-linking among PSS, PEO, and GOPS), (ii) high adhesion strength on the PES membrane (due to GOPS functioning as an adhesion promoter), (iii) enhanced electrical properties [due to the MWCNTs and PEDOT:PSS promoting effective electrical stimulation (ES) operation in devices containing bioelectronic interfaces (BEI)], and (iv) good anticoagulant ability and negligible hemolysis of red blood cells. We employed this organic BEI electronic system as a novel single-membrane HD device to study the removal efficiency of four kinds of uremic toxins [p-cresol (PC), indoxyl sulfate, and hippuric acid as PBUTs; creatinine as a non-PBUT] as well as the effects of ES on lowering the protein binding ratio. Our organic BEI devices provided a high rate of removal of PC with low protein loss after 4 h of a simulated dialysis process. It also functioned with low complement activation, low contact activation levels, and lower amounts of platelet adsorption, suggesting great suitability for use in developing next-generation bioelectronic medicines for HD.

Mingled MnO2 and Co3O4 Binary Nanostructures on Well-Aligned Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers for Nonenzymatic Glucose Oxidation and Sensing

“…The intensity of D/G ( I D / I G ) was found to be approximately 1.03 for the as-prepared ECNFs. The Raman spectrum (Figure a red) of MnO 2 /Co 3 O 4 @ECNFs also has both D and G bands at the same Raman shift; however, the intensity decreased significantly, ascribed to the decorated metal oxides . The intensity of D and G bands for Co 3 O 4 @ECNFs and MnO 2 /Co 3 O 4 @ECNFs is much less than that of ECNFs or MnO 2 @ECNFs.…”

Facile Fabrication of Microwrinkled Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) Films that Promote Neural Differentiation under Electrical Stimulation

“…GOPS can enhance this adhesion through chemical reactions with PSS and PDMS. On the one hand, GOPS can graft to PDMS through its methoxysilane groups; on the other, the epoxide rings of GOPS can react with the sulfonate groups of PSS. − Therefore, we prepared various PEDOT:PSS solutions and selected various surface modification conditions to study their effects on the conductivity and stability of PEDOT:PSS films on PDMS substrates (Table ). The conductivity of the thin film decreased upon decreasing the concentration of PEDOT:PSS from 95 to 93 wt %.…”

The Dual Roles of Protein-Bound Solutes as Toxins and Signaling Molecules in Uremia

“…To loosen the binding of uremic toxins, several innovative developments have been explored, including electrically triggered dissociation of protein-toxin complexes with incorporated carbon nanotubes in a hemodialysis device system [4]. Such a device could provide an improved toxin removal with low protein loss, but it is still in development.…”