Objective: Conducting polymers have been used for bone and neural implants, since it has been found to encourage cell regeneration through electrical stimulation. They are flexible and more mechanically compatible with cells making them a great alternative to metals in implants and tissue scaffoldings. Recently, conducting polymers have been employed as hydrogel wound dressings to promote wound healing in patients with low healing rates, such as burn and diabetic patients. However, PEDOT:PSS, a relatively new conducting polymer, is seldom incorporated in medical applications, due to its low processability.
Methods: In this work, the potential of PEDOT:PSS in cell regeneration was studied by mixing it with TiO2 in order to increase its processability. PEDOT:PSS-TiO2 composite was made at a 3:1 ratio, then AlamarBlueTM assay was carried out on fibroblast cells using different concentrations of the PEDOT:PSS composite (10%, 5%, 2.5%, 2.5%, 1.25%, 0.625%).
Results: The results show that after 24 and 48 hours treatment, all concentrations, apart from 10%, show increment of cell proliferation. The highest cell proliferation is recorded after 24 hours at 1.25% concentration, with 70% increase in cell viability compared to control.
Conclusion: These results suggest that PEDOT:PSS encourages cell proliferation via its efficient electrical properties, indicating that PEDOT:PSS is biocompatible with fibroblast cells and has a good potential for use in wound healing and implants.