Although conductive bioelectronic interfaces (BEIs) can allow neural cell culturing while providing electrical stimulation (ES) to the nervous system, there are few simple approaches for the preparation of conductive BEIs with topographical features designed for cell manipulation. In this study, we developed a facile method for fabricating microwrinkled poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) films through spin-coating onto pre-elongated polydimethylsiloxane substrates. The microwrinkles of our PEDOT:PSS films pre-elongated by 20 and 40% had average widths of 6.47 ± 1.49 and 5.39 ± 1.53 μm, respectively. These microwrinkled PEDOT:PSS films promoted the directional ordering of neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells and displayed favorable biocompatibility and outstanding electrochemical properties for long-term ES treatment. When using this BEI platform, the level of PC12 gene expression of Neun was enhanced significantly after 5 days of culturing in differentiation media and under ES, in line with the decreased expression of early phase markers. Therefore, such readily fabricated microwrinkled PEDOT:PSS films are promising candidates for use as BEIs for tissue regenerative medicine.
Keywords: bioelectronic interface; conductive polymer; nerve regeneration; poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS); tissue engineering.