title: A glucose biofuel cell implanted in rats.
abstract: Powering future generations of implanted medical devices will require cumbersome transcutaneous energy transfer or harvesting energy from the human body. No functional solution that harvests power from the body is currently available, despite attempts to use the Seebeck thermoelectric effect, vibrations or body movements. Glucose fuel cells appear more promising, since they produce electrical energy from glucose and dioxygen, two substrates present in physiological fluids. The most powerful ones, Glucose BioFuel Cells (GBFCs), are based on enzymes electrically wired by redox mediators. However, GBFCs cannot be implanted in animals, mainly because the enzymes they rely on either require low pH or are inhibited by chloride or urate anions, present in the Extra Cellular Fluid (ECF). Here we present the first functional implantable GBFC, working in the retroperitoneal space of freely moving rats. The breakthrough relies on the design of a new family of GBFCs, characterized by an innovative and simple mechanical confinement of various enzymes and redox mediators: enzymes are no longer covalently bound to the surface of the electron collectors, which enables use of a wide variety of enzymes and redox mediators, augments the quantity of active enzymes, and simplifies GBFC construction. Our most efficient GBFC was based on composite graphite discs containing glucose oxidase and ubiquinone at the anode, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and quinone at the cathode. PPO reduces dioxygen into water, at pH 7 and in the presence of chloride ions and urates at physiological concentrations. This GBFC, with electrodes of 0.133 mL, produced a peak specific power of 24.4 microW mL(-1), which is better than pacemakers' requirements and paves the way for the development of a new generation of implantable artificial organs, covering a wide range of medical applications.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire TIMC-IMAG (Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - Informatique, Mathématiques et Applications de Grenoble), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France. Philippe.Cinquin@imag.fr
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cinquin
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gondran
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giroud
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazabrard
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pellissier
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Alcaraz
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gorgy
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lenouvel
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mathé
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Porcu
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cosnier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D004566:Electrodes; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005949:Glucose Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D020007:Implants, Experimental; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000378:metabolism; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014451:Ubiquinone; D014508:Urea; D005949:Glucose Oxidase; D004156:Catechol Oxidase; D014510:Urease; D005947:Glucose
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