2. Academic Validation
  3. Zwitterionic Polymer/Polydopamine Coating of Electrode Arrays Reduces Fibrosis and Residual Hearing Loss after Cochlear Implantation

Zwitterionic Polymer/Polydopamine Coating of Electrode Arrays Reduces Fibrosis and Residual Hearing Loss after Cochlear Implantation

  • Adv Healthc Mater. 2023 Jan;12(1):e2200807. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202200807.
Anning Chen 1 2,  Dongxiu Chen 1 2,  Kai Lv 3,  Guowei Li 4,  Jing Pan 1 2,  Dong Ma 3,  Jie Tang 1 2 5 6,  Hongzheng Zhang 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
  • 2 Hearing Research Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
  • 3 Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Drug Carrier Development, Key Laboratory of Biomaterials of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
  • 4 Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT-MRI Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
  • 5 Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
  • 6 Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
PMID: 36177664 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202200807
Abstract

Since the first surgery 50 years ago, cochlear implantation (CI) is the major treatment for patients with severe sensorineural hearing loss. However, unexpected foreign body reactions (FBRs) after surgery are reported in 90% of CI recipients, resulting in the formation of fibrosis in the cochlea and progressive residual hearing loss. Zwitterion modification is universally used to reduce bio-fouling and suppress FBRs but never for CI. In the present study, a zwitterionic coating is developed, which is composed of poly sulfobetaine methacrylate (PSB) and polydopamine (PDA) for cochlear implants. The PSB-PDA coating shows a series of characters for an ideal anti-FBRs material, including super-hydrophilicity, low protein and cell adsorption, long-term stability, and high biocompatibility. Compared to the uncoated controls, PSB-PDA coating inhibits the activation of macrophages and reduces the release of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, NO) and fibrosis-related factors (TGF-β1, α-SMA, collagen I). PSB-PDA coated electrode arrays suppress fibrosis completely and preserve residual hearing significantly in rat CI models. These results suggest that PSB-PDA coating is a novel strategy for anti-fibrosis to improve the outcomes of CI.

Keywords

anti-fibrosis; cochlear implantation; polydopamine; surface modification; zwitterions.

Figures
Products