Biodegradable poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyoxalate electrospun nanofibers for hydrogen peroxide-triggered drug release

Abstract

Release of drugs in a controlled and sustainable manner is of great interest for treating some inflammatory diseases, drug delivery, and cosmetics. In this work, we demonstrated the control release of a drug from composite nanofibers mediated by hydrogen peroxide. Composite nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyoxalate (PVA/POX NFs) blended at various weight ratios were successfully prepared by electrospinning. Rhodamine B (RB) was used as a model of drug and was initially loaded into the POX portion. The morphology of NFs was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The functional groups presented in the NFs were characterized using IR spectroscopy. In vitro release behavior and cell toxicity of nanofibers were also investigated using the MTT assay. The results indicated that POX content had a significant effect on the size and release profiles of nanofibers. Microstructure analysis revealed that sizes of PVA/POX NFs increased with increasing POX content, ranging from 214 to 422 nm. Release profiles of RB at 37 °C were non-linear and showed different release mechanisms. The mechanism of drug release depended on the chemical composition of the NFs. RB release from the NFs with highest POX content was caused by the degradation of the nanofiber matrix, whereas the RB release in lower POX content NFs was caused by diffusion. The NFs with POX showed a loss of structural integrity in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as seen using SEM. The MTT assay showed that composite nanofibers had minimal cytotoxicity. We anticipate that nanofibrous PVA/POX can potentially be used to target numerous inflammatory diseases that overproduce hydrogen peroxide and may become a potential candidate for use as a local drug delivery vehicle.

Light‐Triggered Structural Modulation of Nanofibrous Meshes to Promote Deep Penetration of Cultured Cells

“…This was consistent with decrease of the oxalate groups in the polymer mixture. [40] To confirm further the degradation of POX and POX/Ce6 NFs under laser irradiation, the NFs were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy (Figure 2b). Raman spectroscopy has been employed in many studies for the detection of both natural and synthetic oxalates due to its sensitivity (oxalate groups can be detected in <1 μm crystals) and to the similarity of the vibrational bands of C═O and C-O-C detected using IR spectroscopy, which are abundant in oxalate groups.…”

Nanofiber Carriers of Therapeutic Load: Current Trends

“…Release mechanism and kinetics of drug release in this case can be controlled by the amount of POX. While at low POX ratios release is fast due to PVA solubility and is governed by diffusion, at higher ratios of hydrophobic POX release is more sustained and is dictated by H 2 O 2 -triggered NF degradation [ 122 ].…”