Controlled electroactive release from solid-state conductive elastomer electrodes

• Published in: Materials today bio Vol. 23; p. 100883
• Main Authors: Chapman, Christopher A.R., Fernandez-Patel, Shanila, Jahan, Nusrat, Cuttaz, Estelle A., Novikov, Alexey, Goding, Josef A., Green, Rylie A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Conducting polymer; Conductive elastomer; Controlled release; Electrophoretic release; Targeted drug delivery; Electrophoretic release; Targeted drug delivery; Conductive elastomer; Conducting polymer; Controlled release
• ISSN: 2590-0064; 2590-0064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100883

This work highlights the development of a conductive elastomer (CE) based electrophoretic platform that enables the transfer of charged molecules from a solid-state CE electrode directly to targeted tissues. Using an elastomer-based electrode containing poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanowires, controlled electrophoretic delivery of methylene blue (MB) and fluorescein (FLSC) was achieved with applied voltage. Electroactive release of positively charged MB and negatively charged FLSC achieved 33.19 ± 6.47 μg release of MB and 22.36 ± 3.05 μg release of FLSC, a 24 and 20-fold increase in comparison to inhibitory voltages over 1 h. Additionally, selective, and sequential release of the two oppositely charged molecules from a single CE device was demonstrated, showing the potential of this device to be used in multi-drug treatments.
The fabrication of molecule-loaded solid-state conductive elastomer electrodes demonstrated successful voltage-triggered electroactive release from the electrode surface. Release of methylene blue and fluorescein increased in concentration 24-fold and 20-fold respectively during active release. Sequential release of both molecules was also demonstrated, showing the potential for this material to deliver complex therapeutic regimens without the need for liquid carriers. [Display omitted]