Bioactive and electroactive response of flexible polythiophene:polyester nanomembranes for tissue engineering

Properties of free-standing nanomembranes prepared by blending poly(3-thiophene methyl acetate) and poly(tetramethylene succinate), a soluble polythiophene derivative and a biodegradable polyester, respectively, have been examined. The outstanding flexibility and robustness of the nanomembranes floating in ethanol have been demonstrated through aspiration in pipette/release/shape recovery cycles, which were repeated without cracking the film. The blend retains the electrochemical properties (i.e. oxidation and reduction processes) of the individual conducting polymer in both physiological and organic environments. Hydrolytic and enzymatic degradation assays show that the degradation of the polyester domains produces the detachment of the conducting polymer domains. The cellular viability, which has been studied using four different cellular lines, is significantly higher for the blend than for the polyester, indicating that the former material is a potential bioactive platform for tissue engineering. Finally, the electrobioactivity of the individual materials and the blend coated with cellular monolayers shows some dependence on the cellular line.