Bioresorbable insertion aids for brain implantable flexible probes: a comparative study on silk fibroin, alginate, and disaccharides

Cerezo-Sanchez, M. et al. (2023) Bioresorbable insertion aids for brain implantable flexible probes: a comparative study on silk fibroin, alginate, and disaccharides. Advanced NanoBiomed Research, 3(9), 2200117. (doi: 10.1002/anbr.202200117)

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Abstract

Miniaturized, flexible, and biocompatible neural probes have the potential to circumvent the brain's foreign body response, but the problem of surgical implantation remains. Herein, a probe intended for implantation in the rat hippocampus is coated in four bioresorbable stiffeners to determine which is most effective in aiding insertion. The stiffeners (sucrose, maltose, silk fibroin, and alginate) are evaluated through mechanical, chemical, and dissolution tests. After coating with silk fibroin, the buckling force of the neural probe increases from 0.31 to 75.99 mN. This goes in accordance with subsequent successful insertion tests. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results demonstrate the increase in β-sheet content of silk fibroin samples after treatment (e.g., water annealing) and show relevant changes due to dehydration of the alginate hydrogel. Both qualitative and quantitative dissolution studies in artificial cerebrospinal fluid illustrate that alginate and silk fibroin outlasts the disaccharide stiffeners. In this work, a variety of multidisciplinary analyses are carried out to find the best bioresorbable stiffener for deep brain implantable devices with the highest buckling force, longest dissolution time, and the most tunable structure. For the first time, an alginate hydrogel is used as a stiffener to aid insertion, expanding its usefulness beyond neural tissue engineering.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work is supported by the EU H2020 FET Proactive RIA project Hybrid Enhanced Regenerative Medicine Systems (HERMES, GA n.824164). M.C.-S. is supported in part by a College of Science and Engineering Scholarship, University of Glasgow. E.M. is supported in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) DTP 2279645. B.P.Y. is supported in part by the European Commission under Grant no. H2020-MSCA-ITN2019-861166. F.W. is supported in part by the EPSRC Doctoral Prize Research Fellowship ‘Scalable Controlled Treatment impLAntables for Neurological Disorders’ (SCOTLAND) under Grant no. EP/T517896/1.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Walton, Mr Finlay and Russell, Mr Ewan and McGlynn, Miss Eve and Cerezo Sanchez, Maria and Heidari, Professor Hadi
Authors: Cerezo-Sanchez, M., McGlynn, E., Bartoletti, S., Prasad Yalagala, B., Casadei Garofani, B., Capodiferro, A., Russell, E., Palazzolo, G., Walton, F., Curia, G., and Heidari, H.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
Journal Name:Advanced NanoBiomed Research
Publisher:Wiley
ISSN:2699-9307
ISSN (Online):2699-9307
Published Online:01 June 2023
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2023 The Authors
First Published:First published in Advanced NanoBiomed Research 3(9):2200117
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license
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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
303466HERMESHadi HeidariEuropean Commission (EC)824164ENG - Electronics & Nanoscale Engineering
312561EPSRC DTP 2020/21Christopher PearceEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/T517896/1Research and Innovation Services