title: Creating conductive structures for cell growth: growth and alignment of myogenic cell types on polythiophenes.
abstract: Conducting polymers provide suitable substrates for the in vitro study of excitable cells, including skeletal muscle cells, due to their inherent conductivity and electroactivity. The thiophene family of conducting polymers offers unique flexibility for tailoring of polymer properties as a result of the ease of functionalization of the parent monomer. This article describes the preparation of films and electrospun fibers from an ester-functionalized organic solvent-soluble polythiophene (poly-octanoic acid 2-thiophen-3-yl-ethyl ester) and details the changes in properties that result from post-polymerization hydrolysis of the ester linkage. The polymer films supported the proliferation and differentiation of both primary and transformed skeletal muscle myoblasts. In addition, aligned electrospun fibers formed from the polymers provided scaffolds for the guided differentiation of linearly aligned primary myotubes, suggesting their suitability as three-dimensional substrates for the in vitro engineering of skeletal muscle tissue.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, AIIM Facility, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Breukers
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Moulton
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Officer
authors.forename: R M I
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kapsa
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Wallace
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D058266:Dielectric Spectroscopy; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000187:drug effects; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005452:Fluoresceins; D011108:Polymers; D013876:Thiophenes; C066730:polythiophene; C007740:fluorexon