Flexible Multielectrode Array for Skeletal Muscle Conditioning, Acetylcholine Receptor Stabilization and Epimysial Recording After Critical Peripheral Nerve Injury
Name
v09p7099.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.07 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
9e9a5d8a905c5d8448211c320b880f3d
Author(s)
McAvoy, Malia
Tsosie, Jonathan K
Vyas, Keval N
Khan, Omar F
Sadtler, Kaitlyn
Langer, Robert
Anderson, Daniel G
Date Issued
2019
Journal
Theranostics
Publisher
Ivyspring International Publisher
Version
Final published version
Abstract
© 2019 The author(s). Complete re-innervation after a traumatic injury severing a muscle's peripheral nerve may take years. During this time, the denervated muscle atrophies and loses acetylcholine receptors, a vital component of the neuromuscular junction, limiting functional recovery. One common clinical treatment for atrophy is electrical stimulation; however, epimysial electrodes currently used are bulky and often fail due to an excessive inflammatory response. Additionally, there remains a need for a device providing in vivo monitoring of neuromuscular regeneration and the maintenance of acetylcholine receptors. Here, an implantable, flexible microelectrode array (MEA) was developed that provides surface neuromuscular stimulation and recording during long-term denervation. Methods: The MEA uses a flexible polyimide elastomer and an array of gold-based microelectrodes featuring Peano curve motifs, which together maintain electrode flexibility. The devices were implanted along the denervated gastrocnemius muscles of 5 rats. These rats underwent therapeutic stimulation using the MEA daily beginning on post-operative day 2. Another 5 rats underwent tibial nerve resection without implantation of MEA. Tissues were harvested on post-operative day 14 and evaluated for quantification of acetylcholine receptors and muscle fiber area using immunofluorescence and histological staining. Results: The Young's modulus was 1.67 GPa, which is comparable to native tendon and muscle. The devices successfully recorded electromyogram data when implanted in rats. When compared to untreated denervated muscles, MEA therapy attenuated atrophy by maintaining larger muscle fiber cross-sectional areas (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the acetylcholine receptor areas were markedly larger with MEA treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This proof-of-concept work successfully demonstrates the ability to combine conformability, tensile strength-enhancing metal micropatterning, electrical stimulation and recording into a functional implant for both epimysial stimulation and recording.
MIT Department
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Medical Engineering & Science
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
10.7150/THNO.35436
https://doi.org/10.7150/THNO.35436
