New Publication: Electroactive Hydrogels for Sustained Lactate Release in Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Nov 04, 2026
The IMEM Group presents a new study on the development of dual-crosslinked electroactive alginate composite hydrogels designed for the sustained release of lactate, a promising therapeutic agent for myocardial repair. The research explores an innovative polymer platform that combines alginate, the conductive polymer PEDOT, electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) microfibers, and glyoxal-mediated covalent crosslinking to achieve controlled lactate delivery.
The results show that the combination of ionic and covalent crosslinking improves the hydrogels' structural and mechanical properties, while the incorporation of PEDOT enhances their electrical conductivity. The materials also demonstrated high cytocompatibility, with cell viability above 80% in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Furthermore, the incorporation of proteinase K enabled gradual lactate release through enzymatic degradation of the PLA microfibers. Intermittent electrical stimulation was also shown to modulate the release behavior over the initial 72 hours of the 15-day study.
These findings establish electroactive alginate composites as promising responsive polymer platforms for controlled therapeutic delivery, with potential applications in myocardial repair and cardiac tissue engineering.
Authors: Samuele Colombi, Neha Thakur, María Dolores Ramírez-Alba, Nuria Borràs, Roberto Macovez, Jorge Morgado, José García-Torres, Carlos Alemán, Julieta I. Páez, and Maria M. Pérez-Madrigal.
Journal: European Polymer Journal
Volume: 261
Article number: 115183
DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2026.115183
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