• 文献标题:   P3ht-Graphene Device for the Restoration of Visual Properties in a Rat Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa
  • 文献类型:   Article, Early Access
  • 作  者:   FRANCIA S, DI MARCO S, DIFRANCESCO ML, FERRARI DV, SHMAL D, CAVALLI A, PERTILE G, ATTANASIO M, MAYAVETENCOURT JF, MANFREDI G, LANZANI G, BENFENATI F, COLOMBO E
  • 作者关键词:   graphene, conjugated polymer, p3ht, royal college of surgeon rat, visual restoration, retinitis pigmentosa
  • 出版物名称:   ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
  • ISSN:   2365-709X
  • 通讯作者地址:  
  • 被引频次:   0
  • DOI:   10.1002/admt.202201467 EA DEC 2022
  • 出版年:   2022

▎ 摘  要

Retinal degeneration is one of the prevalent causes of blindness worldwide, for which no effective treatment has yet been identified. Inorganic photovoltaic devices have been investigated for visual restoration in advanced stage Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), although lack of implant flexibility and foreign-object reactions have limited their application. Organic photoactive retinal prostheses may overcome these limitations, being biomimetic and tissue friendly. Inspired by organic photovoltaic strategies involving graphene, a hybrid retinal prosthesis is recently engineered consisting of a dual poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) and graphene layer onto a flexible substrate. Here, this hybrid prosthesis is subretinally implanted in vivo in 5-month-old Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a rodent model of RP. Implanted dystrophic rats restored visual performances at both subcortical and cortical levels in response to light stimuli, in the absence of marked inflammatory responses. Moreover, the analysis of the physical-mechanical properties after prolonged permanence in the eye showed excellent biocompatibility and robustness of the device. Overall, the results demonstrate that graphene-enhanced organic photovoltaic devices can be suitably employed for the rescue of retinal dystrophies and supports the translation of the organic strategy into medical practice.