Covalent Binding of Dexamethasone to Polyimide Improves Biocompatibility of Neural Implantable Devices
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2025

Neural implants are widely used in prosthetic applications to interact with the peripheral nervous system, but their long-term functionality is compromised by foreign body reactions (FBR). Thanks to its high biocompatibility, polyimide poly (biphenyl dianhydride)-p-phenylenediamine (BPDA-PDA) represents a suitable material to fabricate ultrathin and ultra-flexible neural implants. This study explores the surface functionalization of BPDA-PDA, the electrically inert component of the neural implant. The novelty of this approach relies on the fact that dexamethasone (DEX covalently bound to BPDA-PDA, enabling its sustained release over a period of at least 9 weeks. In vitro assays demonstrate that this strategy reduce the production of pro-inflammatory markers in macrophages. In addition, the biocompatibility of the functionalized material has been ensured by evaluating the viability of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. Furthermore, in vivo implantation of DEX functionalized BPDA-PDA substrates shows a significant reduction in inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrotic capsule thickness formed around the devices. These findings suggest that local release of DEX from the electrically inactive scaffold of neural implants may enhance their long-term stability and performance by mitigating the FBR.

intraneural electrodes

surface chemistry

dexamethasone

drug delivery systems

foreign body reactions

neuroprostheses

Författare

Giulia Turrin

University of Ferrara

Jose Crugeiras

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB)

Chiara Bisquoli

University of Ferrara

Davide Barboni

University of Ferrara

Martina Catani

University of Ferrara

Bruno Rodríguez-Meana

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB)

Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas

Rita Boaretto

University of Ferrara

Michele Albicini

University of Ferrara

Stefano Caramori

University of Ferrara

Claudio Trapella

University of Ferrara

Thomas Stieglitz

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Yara Baslan

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Hanna Karlsson-Fernberg

Chalmers, Mikroteknologi och nanovetenskap, Elektronikmaterial

Fernanda L. Narvaez-Chicaiza

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Edoardo Marchini

University of Ferrara

Alberto Cavazzini

University of Ferrara

Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA)

Ruben López-Vales

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB)

Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas

Maria Asplund

Chalmers, Mikroteknologi och nanovetenskap, Elektronikmaterial

Xavier Navarro

Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB)

Stefano Carli

University of Ferrara

Advanced healthcare materials

2192-2640 (ISSN) 2192-2659 (eISSN)

Vol. In Press

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)

Neurovetenskaper

DOI

10.1002/adhm.202405004

PubMed

40528547

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-07-02