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A proposed implantable voltammetric carbon fiber–based microsensor for corticosteroid monitoring by cochlear implants

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Abstract

A novel carbon fiber microsensor (CFMS) with the capability of being inserted in the cochlear implant structure is introduced for in situ measurement of corticosteroid concentration. The microsensor structure is composed of a carbon microfiber, an Ag wire, and a Pt wire acting respectively as a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode. In addition, a silicone septum is used for isolation purposes in place of the epoxy resin. The septum-insulated microsensor is capable of monitoring the concentration of the corticosteroids in the perilymph fluid without a need for sampling from the inner ear fluid and the consequent ex vivo analysis. The electrochemical determination of the corticosteroids was investigated on the carbon fiber electrode surface by differential pulse voltammetry. During the reduction of dexamethasone (DEX), a cathodic peak with a peak potential of −1.3 V appeared at the CFMS. Using the CFMS under optimized conditions, a calibration plot of the dexamethasone (DEX) in the artificial perilymph solution exhibited two linear ranges from 10 nM to 2 μM and 2 to 40 μM (sensitivity equal to 16.55 μA μM−1 cm−2; LOD = 4 nM) conforming with the DEX concentration range inside the inner ear after the insertion of a drug-eluting cochlear implant electrode (CIE). Furthermore, the interferences occurring in the hearing functions of the CIE after the presence and function of the CFMS were simulated numerically using the finite element method. According to our results, decreasing the size of the microsensor introduces lower interferences with the auditory function of the cochlear implant electrode.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Somayeh Alimohammadi, Hashem Rafii-Tabar & Pezhman Sasanpour

  2. Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran, Tehran, 14335-186, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Kiani

  3. Department of Novel Drug Delivery Systems, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Imani

  4. The Physics Branch of the Iran Academy of Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hashem Rafii-Tabar

Authors
  1. Somayeh Alimohammadi
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  2. Mohammad Ali Kiani
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  3. Mohammad Imani
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  4. Hashem Rafii-Tabar
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  5. Pezhman Sasanpour
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Correspondence to Mohammad Ali Kiani, Mohammad Imani or Pezhman Sasanpour.

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The authors declare the following competing financial interests: Four authors (Somayeh Alimohammadi, Mohammad Imani, Mohammad Ali Kiani, and Pezhman Sasanpour) have filed a non-provisional patent application on the technology described in this paper. The remaining author declares that he has no competing interests.

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Alimohammadi, S., Kiani, .A., Imani, M. et al. A proposed implantable voltammetric carbon fiber–based microsensor for corticosteroid monitoring by cochlear implants. Microchim Acta 188, 357 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04994-9

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