Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) injuries persist for years, and currently there are no therapeutics that can address the complex injury cascade that develops over this timescale. 17β-estradiol (E2) has broad tropism within the CNS, targeting and inducing beneficial phenotypic changes in myriad cells following injury. To address the unmet need for vastly prolonged E2 release, we report first-generation poly(pro-E2) biomaterial scaffolds that release E2 at nanomolar concentrations over the course of 1–10 years via slow hydrolysis in vitro. As a result of their finely tuned properties, these scaffolds demonstrate the ability to promote and guide neurite extension ex vivo and protect neurons from oxidative stress in vitro. The design and testing of these materials reported herein demonstrate the first step towards next-generation implantable biomaterials with prolonged release and excellent regenerative potential.
Recommended Citation
A. R. D'Amato et al., "Vastly Extended Drug Release from Poly(pro-17β-estradiol) Materials Facilitates in Vitro Neurotrophism and Neuroprotection," Nature Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, article no. 4830, Nature Research, Dec 2019.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12835-w
Department(s)
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2041-1723
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Dec 2019
PubMed ID
31645570
Comments
National Science Foundation, Grant C32631GG