Paclitaxel is a widely used microtubule-targeting chemotherapeutic, yet its intrinsic electrochemical behavior remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the electrochemical and oscillatory properties of paclitaxel incorporated into proteinoid microspheres that mimic cellular environments. Using scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and square-wave voltammetry, we compare pure paclitaxel, proteinoid–paclitaxel mixtures, and related proteinoid systems. Incorporation of paclitaxel induces the formation of interconnected fibrous networks and enhances electrical conductivity by nearly two orders of magnitude relative to pure paclitaxel. The proteinoid–paclitaxel system exhibits diffusion-controlled redox behavior, long-term stable electrical oscillations, and high signal coherence. Spectral and nonlinear analyses reveal distinct dynamical regimes, including chaotic behavior in mixed proteinoid systems. These results establish proteinoid–paclitaxel assemblies as electrically active biomimetic platforms and suggest their potential as model systems for studying microtubule-related bioelectrical phenomena and bio-inspired signal processing.
Mougkogiannis et al. (Sun,) studied this question.