Development of conductive polymeric nanofiber patches for cardiac tissue engineering application

Abstract

Electrically conductive patches using biocompatible polymeric nanofibers have a beneficial effect on electroresponsive tissues such as the brain, heart, and nervous system. Recently, conductive nanofiber patches with electromechanical properties gained more attention as a promising and a well-effective technology in tissue engineering due to their conductive and flexible nature. In the present study, proposed conductive nanofibrous patches were developed using the electrospinning technique to mimic native myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) biological and mechanical properties. Different patches of polyurethane (PU) and polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer were developed by blending and dual syringe electrospinning followed by coating with interfacial polymerization of polyaniline (PANI). The developed nanofibrous patches were evaluated in terms of morphology, physicochemical properties, mechanical flexibility, and in vitro biocompatibility using human EA. hy926 endothelial cells. Results indicated an appropriate surface wettability and mechanical stability of the developed patches compared to reported human myocardium tissue properties. In addition, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test showed that patches coated with PANI as conductive films can enhance conductivity compared to the nonconductive (i.e pure polymers) and resulted in better cell proliferation and attachment. Interestingly, the electrical stimulation (ES) during in vitro test can be electrically stimulated and promote cell proliferation as well as mimic the myocardium bioelectricity. Our findings showed that the developed conductive patches can provide a robust conductive system for electroresponsive tissue indicated by cell proliferation shown in FESEM images of attached cells.

pH-sensitive composite nanofibers of poly(ε-caprolactone) loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles/ammonium bicarbonate as a nanocarrier toward efficient doxorubicin release for postsurgical cancer treatment

“…[7][8][9] Among them, the nanofibrous scaffolds prepared by the electrospinning process, due to their high surface area, porous structure and higher drug loading capability, have been extensively used for the controlled release of anticancer drugs. [10][11][12][13][14] pH-sensitive magnetic nanofibers have emerged as a promising platform for controlled drug delivery due to their unique properties, which include magnetic responsiveness and pH sensitivity. 12,15,16 The magnetic nanoparticles enable the nanofibers to be guided to a specific site in the body using an external magnetic field, while the pH-responsive moieties allow for targeted drug release at a specific pH value, such as the slightly acidic environment found in cancer cells.…”

“…7–9 Among them, the nanofibrous scaffolds prepared by the electrospinning process, due to their high surface area, porous structure and higher drug loading capability, have been extensively used for the controlled release of anticancer drugs. 10–14…”