Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Biomedical Engineering
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Charles Smith - Morehouse College
Co-Author(s): Joyce Huang, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Rajiv Saigal MD/PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
After an initial spinal cord injury (SCI), a secondary inflammatory response occurs that results in further neuronal death surrounding the SCI site. Various methods have been used to counteract this inflammatory response in order to reduce the amount of additional damage and improve recovery time. One of these methods is the use of steroids to reduce the inflammatory response; however, significant adverse side effects have been found when steroids are delivered systematically. Local delivery of steroids may mitigate this problem. Recent studies have looked at the use of electrodeposition of dexamethasone (DexaP) along with the conductive polymer, polypyrrole (PPy), onto electrodes as a method for local, electronically controlled release of steroids. In this study, we tested the effect of two cover layers (NaDBS/PPy vs. NaCl/PPy) and various concentrations of the dopant, NaDBS (Sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate), in the drug layer (0M, 0.02M, 0.2M) to optimize the controlled release of dexamethasone from microfabricated electrodes. An increase in controlled DexaP release from microfabricated electrodes was seen by the addition of a NaDBS/PPy coating and the reduction of NaDBS in the PPy drug layer. The optimization efficiency of the delivery method was then tested in vitro on activated BV-2 microglial cells. A reduction in nitric oxide levels and cytotoxicity was seen when stimulation was delivered, regardless of the presence or absence of DexaP. These initial results showed that the controlled release of steroids such as DexaP could potentially be a useful treatment for neural inflammation. However, the initial assay results (free radical production, cytotoxicity, cell viability), when collected from an alternate setup (ITO Slide), were highly variable. Refinements to the experimental setup, use of a higher concentration of DexaP, and the use of a higher voltage (i.e. -2V) should be implemented before retesting in vitro with microfabricated electrodes.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This research was supported by National Science Foundation Award #1757216 and EEC #1028725.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajiv Saigal, drsaigal@gmail.com
Role: I did the majority of the research as it was my summer research project