Implantable heterogeneous triboelectric nanogenerator effectively prevents denervation-induced muscle atrophy

Abstract

Electrical stimulation (ES) is one of the most effective methods of preventing muscle atrophy. However, current electrotherapy equipment is relatively complex and inconvenient to carry, and the daily training time needs to be scheduled. Implantable flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) can realize ES and effectively avoid the above problems. Therefore, we developed a high-performance TENG with excellent biocompatibility and implanted it subcutaneously to prevent denervation-induced muscle atrophy. Moreover, molecular dynamics (MD) analysis found that the spacing of the heterogeneous film can change its dipole, which is one of the reasons for the voltage change of heterogeneous TENG (h-TENG). In addition, in vitro experiments demonstrate that h-TENG can effectively promote much more muscle cell proliferation. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and gene knockout methods found that h-TENG prevents muscle atrophy by upregulating the expression of the FGF6 gene.