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Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 15770

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Felix B. Engel

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Guest Editor

Department Nephropathology, Institute of Patholology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-97054 Erlangen, Germany
Interests: heart; skeletal muscle; 3D bioprinting; electroconductive materials; cancer biology; kidney
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering”, will cover a selection of recent research topics and current review articles related to novel approaches in implementing electroconductive materials in tissue engineering. Original research manuscripts, short communications, up-to-date review articles, and commentaries are all welcome.

Tissue engineering is a promising approach to fabricate human tissues for drug screening and disease modeling, with great promise also for tissue repair. Considering the socioeconomic burden of neural and cardiac diseases, including congenital disease, great effort has been invested in cardiac and neuronal tissue engineering. Although major advances have been made, several major issues remain with regards to cell differentiation as well as tissue maturation, complexity, and functionality. One of the most understudied parameters in these fields is the “electrical nature” of neuronal and cardiac tissues. Recently, electroconductive materials/scaffolds have become more frequently utilized for tissue engineering. However, even though the beneficial effect of this approach is apparent, the mechanisms by which electroconductive materials/scaffolds exhibit their positive effects remain elusive.

The purpose of this Special Issue, "Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering", is to present novel findings in the field of electroconductive materials as well as reviews of the state of the art. The following topics are of interest: (i) crosstalk between conductive scaffolds and “electroactive” cells; (ii) mechanistic insights into the effect of electroconductive materials on cellular functions; (iii) effects of electroconductive materials on the properties of multicomponent scaffolds; (iv) the cell–scaffold electronic interface; (v) modeling of electroactive tissues; (vi) interaction of engineered electroconductive tissues with electroactive host tissue; (vii) review of available electroconductive materials; (viii) review of the “electric nature” of the heart and/or neural tissues; (ix) review of engineering of sinus node tissue; (x) review of electroconductive materials in cardiac tissue engineering (with a focus on drug screening, disease modeling, or tissue repair) (xi) review of electroconductive materials in neural tissue engineering; (xii) review of acellular applications of electroconductive materials; (xiii) review of conducting mechanisms; (xiv) electroconductive materials in tissues such as skeletal muscle, bone, and/or neuromuscular junction.

Prof. Dr. Felix Engel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Electroconductive materials Cardiac tissue engineering
Neural tissue engineering
Skeletal muscle tissue engineering
Conducting mechanisms
Sinus node
Cardiac conduction system

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4096 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexible Neural Probes with Electrochemical Modified Microelectrodes for Artifact-Free Optogenetic Applications

by Bangbang Guo, Ye Fan, Minghao Wang, Yuhua Cheng, Bowen Ji, Ying Chen and Gaofeng Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11528; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111528 - 26 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1889

Abstract

With the rapid increase in the use of optogenetics to investigate nervous systems, there is high demand for neural interfaces that can simultaneously perform optical stimulation and electrophysiological recording. However, high-magnitude stimulation artifacts have prevented experiments from being conducted at a desirably high temporal resolution. Here, a flexible polyimide-based neural probe with polyethylene glycol (PEG) packaged optical fiber and Pt-Black/PEDOT-GO (graphene oxide doped poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)) modified microelectrodes was developed to reduce the stimulation artifacts that are induced by photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic (PV) effects. The advantages of this design include quick and accurate implantation and high-resolution recording capacities. Firstly, electrochemical performance of the modified microelectrodes is significantly improved due to the large specific surface area of the GO layer. Secondly, good mechanical and electrochemical stability of the modified microelectrodes is obtained by using Pt-Black as bonding layer. Lastly, bench noise recordings revealed that PEC noise amplitude of the modified neural probes could be reduced to less than 50 µV and no PV noise was detected when compared to silicon-based neural probes. The results indicate that this device is a promising optogenetic tool for studying local neural circuits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering)

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27 pages, 7220 KiB

Open AccessArticle

PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) Electrospun Scaffolds for Nerve Graft Engineering: A Comparative Study on Piezoelectric and Structural Properties, and In Vitro Biocompatibility

by Oleksandr Gryshkov, Fedaa AL Halabi, Antonia Isabel Kuhn, Sara Leal-Marin, Lena Julie Freund, Maria Förthmann, Nils Meier, Sven-Alexander Barker, Kirsten Haastert-Talini and Birgit Glasmacher

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11373; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111373 - 21 Oct 2021

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4653

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) are considered as promising biomaterials for supporting nerve regeneration because of their proven biocompatibility and piezoelectric properties that could stimulate cell ingrowth due to their electrical activity upon mechanical deformation. For the first time, this study reports on the comparative analysis of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) electrospun scaffolds in terms of structural and piezoelectric properties as well as their in vitro performance. A dynamic impact test machine was developed, validated, and utilised, to evaluate the generation of an electrical voltage upon the application of an impact load (varying load magnitude and frequency) onto the electrospun PVDF (15–20 wt%) and P(VDF-TrFE) (10–20 wt%) scaffolds. The cytotoxicity and in vitro performance of the scaffolds was evaluated with neonatal rat (nrSCs) and adult human Schwann cells (ahSCs). The neurite outgrowth behaviour from sensory rat dorsal root ganglion neurons cultured on the scaffolds was analysed qualitatively. The results showed (i) a significant increase of the β-phase content in the PVDF after electrospinning as well as a zeta potential similar to P(VDF-TrFE), (ii) a non-constant behaviour of the longitudinal piezoelectric strain constant d₃₃, depending on the load and the load frequency, and (iii) biocompatibility with cultured Schwann cells and guiding properties for sensory neurite outgrowth. In summary, the electrospun PVDF-based scaffolds, representing piezoelectric activity, can be considered as promising materials for the development of artificial nerve conduits for the peripheral nerve injury repair. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering)

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21 pages, 9603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Revealing Electrical and Mechanical Performances of Highly Oriented Electrospun Conductive Nanofibers of Biopolymers with Tunable Diameter

by Muhammad A. Munawar and Dirk W. Schubert

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10295; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221910295 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2182

Abstract

The present study outlines a reliable approach to determining the electrical conductivity and elasticity of highly oriented electrospun conductive nanofibers of biopolymers. The highly oriented conductive fibers are fabricated by blending a high molar mass polyethylene oxide (PEO), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polylactic acid (PLA) with polyaniline (PANi) filler. The filler-matrix interaction and molar mass (M) of host polymer are among governing factors for variable fiber diameter. The conductivity as a function of filler fraction (φ) is shown and described using a McLachlan equation to reveal the electrical percolation thresholds (φ_c) of the nanofibers. The molar mass of biopolymer, storage time, and annealing temperature are significant factors for φ_c. The Young’s modulus (E) of conductive fibers is dependent on filler fraction, molar mass, and post-annealing process. The combination of high orientation, tunable diameter, tunable conductivity, tunable elasticity, and biodegradability makes the presented nanofibers superior to the fibers described in previous literature and highly desirable for various biomedical and technical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering)

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Review

Jump to: Research

44 pages, 4882 KiB

Open AccessReview

Conductive Polymeric-Based Electroactive Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications: Current Progress and Challenges from Biomaterials and Manufacturing Perspectives

by Maradhana Agung Marsudi, Ridhola Tri Ariski, Arie Wibowo, Glen Cooper, Anggraini Barlian, Riska Rachmantyo and Paulo J. D. S. Bartolo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11543; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111543 - 26 Oct 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5626

Abstract

The practice of combining external stimulation therapy alongside stimuli-responsive bio-scaffolds has shown massive potential for tissue engineering applications. One promising example is the combination of electrical stimulation (ES) and electroactive scaffolds because ES could enhance cell adhesion and proliferation as well as modulating cellular specialization. Even though electroactive scaffolds have the potential to revolutionize the field of tissue engineering due to their ability to distribute ES directly to the target tissues, the development of effective electroactive scaffolds with specific properties remains a major issue in their practical uses. Conductive polymers (CPs) offer ease of modification that allows for tailoring the scaffold’s various properties, making them an attractive option for conductive component in electroactive scaffolds. This review provides an up-to-date narrative of the progress of CPs-based electroactive scaffolds and the challenge of their use in various tissue engineering applications from biomaterials perspectives. The general issues with CP-based scaffolds relevant to its application as electroactive scaffolds were discussed, followed by a more specific discussion in their applications for specific tissues, including bone, nerve, skin, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle scaffolds. Furthermore, this review also highlighted the importance of the manufacturing process relative to the scaffold’s performance, with particular emphasis on additive manufacturing, and various strategies to overcome the CPs’ limitations in the development of electroactive scaffolds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroconductive Materials in Tissue Engineering)

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