Near-Infrared Emitting and Pro-Angiogenic Electrospun Conjugated Polymer Scaffold for Optical Biomaterial Tracking

Abstract

Noninvasive tracking of biomaterials is vital for determining the fate and degradation of an implant in vivo, and to show its role in tissue regeneration. Current biomaterials have no inherent capacity to enable tracing but require labeling with, for example, fluorescent dyes, or nanoparticles. Here a novel biocompatible fully conjugated electrospun scaffold is described, based on a semiconducting luminescent polymer that can be visualized in situ after implantation using fluorescence imaging. The polymer, poly [2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (TQ1), is electrospun to form a fibrous mat. The fibers display fluorescence emission in the near-infrared region with lifetimes in the sub-nanosecond range, optimal for in situ imaging. The material shows no cytotoxic behaviors for embryonic chicken cardiomyocytes and mouse myoblasts, and cells migrate onto the TQ1 fibers even in the presence of a collagen substrate. Subcutaneous implantations of the material in rats show incorporation of the TQ1 fibers within the tissue, with limited inflammation and a preponderance of small capillaries around the fibers. The fluorescent properties of the TQ1 fibers are fully retained for up to 90 d following implantation and they can be clearly visualized in tissue using fluorescence and lifetime imaging, thus making it both a pro-angiogenic and traceable biomaterial.