Design of a Novel Electrically Conducting Biocompatible Polymer with Degradable Linkages for Biomedical Applications

摘要

Electrical stimuli have a clear affect on cell function, including cell growth, adhesion and migration. As a result, conducting polymers have been targeted as a biocompatible conductive substrate for many tissue engineering applications. However, conducting polymers are not inherently biodegradable, which may limit the use of these materials in vivo. We have recognized the need for tissue engineering scaffolds to be degradable and therefore have taken an interest in developing a biocompatible, conductive, polymer that is also biodegradable. Our polymer design consists of alternating conductive quaterthiophene units and ester units, where the ester units would permit in vivo degradation of the backbone. Thus far, preliminary studies indicate this novel polymer is electroactive and cytocompatible; however, further work must be done to determine the conductivity range (in S/cm), degradability, and in vivo biocompatibility.