Poster N13 - Development of Electrosensitive Polypyrrole Nanoparticles for On-Demand Drug Release

Saturday, October 26, 2024

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST

Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Presenting Author(s)

Ian M. Anderson (he/him/his)

Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Primary Investigator(s)

SM

Solaleh Miar

Assistant Professor
University of Hartford, United States

Co-Author(s)

DD

Drew Dossias

Student
University of Hartford, United States
AK

Anna Keith

Student
University of Hartford, United States

Introduction: Tunable electrosensitive drug release systems hold significant promise in advancing treatment strategies for disorders such as muscle atrophy. Traditional drug delivery methods often lack precision in targeting affected tissues and controlling drug release rates, which can limit therapeutic efficacy and cause systemic side effects. Electrosensitive drug delivery systems offer a solution by allowing precise modulation of drug release in response to external stimuli, such as electrical signals. In this project, we developed Polypyrrole (Ppy) nanoparticles using Biotin as the dopant and Streptavidin Horseradish Peroxide as the release agent to test a model system for on-demand and tunable electrosensitive drug release.

Materials and

Methods: To synthesize Polypyrrole (Ppy) nanoparticles, FeCl3 was dissolved in water and then mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (Mowiol 4-88, Mw: 31000) (50:3). Separately, pyrrole and ethanol were combined in a 1:4 ratio, and then Biotin (3:10) was added to this mixture. Subsequently, the pyrrole-ethanol-Biotin solution was added to the FeCl3-PVA solution, and polymerization occurred at 35,000 RPM using a homogenizer at room temperature. The resulting nanoparticles were washed three times by centrifugation at 12,000 RPM.
The synthesized Ppy nanoparticles were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, and their particle diameter size was determined using ImageJ. The impact of Biotin on nanoparticles’ morphology and particle diameter were also investigated (Fig. 1.A with Biotin, and Fig. 1.B without Biotin). Electrosensitive drug release was assessed using customized well-plates with titanium wires at 5V (Fig 1.D). The release of loaded Streptavidin HRP (0.2 mg/ml) under electrical stimulation from the nanoparticles was quantified using a plate reader. All chemicals were purchased from Fisher Scientific (Hampton, NH). Quantitative data were compared using T-test for the determination of significant differences at p< 0.05.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: The diameter of the particles with and without Biotin were measured in ImageJ and were found to have an average diameter of 932 and 949 nm, respectively (Fig. 1.C). The data was not significant (P>0.05) indicating that Biotin has no impact on the particle size. The electrical stimulation of the nanoparticles and the drug release using Streptavidin HRP were tested and the rate of release of horseradish peroxide (Fig. 1.E) demonstrated a positive correlation between electrical stimulation of the nanoparticles and the subsequent release of Streptavidin HRP.

Conclusion: The potential use of polypyrrole as an electrosensitive drug delivery system was established successfully via this study. The synthesization and characterization of the nanoparticles demonstrated their ability to release when stimulated electrically.

Acknowledgements (Optional): We would like to acknowledge the support from the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, NASA, and the University of Hartford. We would also like to acknowledge the Electron Microscopy Facility at Trinity college for imaging and sample characterization services.

References:
1. NASA. “Counteracting Bone and Muscle Loss in Microgravity.” (2023)