Electrospun multi‐chamber core–shell nanofibers and their controlled release behaviors: A review

Abstract

Core–shell structure is a concentric circle structure found in nature. The rapid development of electrospinning technology provides more approaches for the production of core–shell nanofibers. The nanoscale effects and expansive specific surface area of core–shell nanofibers can facilitate the dissolution of drugs. By employing ingenious structural designs and judicious polymer selection, specialized nanofiber drug delivery systems can be prepared to achieve controlled drug release. The synergistic combination of core–shell structure and materials exhibits a strong strategy for enhancing the drug utilization efficiency and customizing the release profile of drugs. Consequently, multi‐chamber core–shell nanofibers hold great promise for highly efficient disease treatment. However, little attention concentration is focused on the effect of multi‐chamber core–shell nanofibers on controlled release of drugs. In this review, we introduced different fabrication techniques for multi‐chamber core–shell nanostructures, including advanced electrospinning technologies and surface functionalization. Subsequently, we reviewed the different controlled drug release behaviors of multi‐chamber core–shell nanofibers and their potential needs for disease treatment. The comprehensive elucidation of controlled release behaviors based on electrospun multi‐chamber core–shell nanostructures could inspire the exploration of novel controlled delivery systems. Furthermore, once these fibers with customizable drug release profiles move toward industrial mass production, they will potentially promote the development of pharmacy and the treatment of various diseases.This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies

Electrospun Fenoprofen/Polycaprolactone @ Tranexamic Acid/Hydroxyapatite Nanofibers as Orthopedic Hemostasis Dressings

“…Traditionally, coaxial electrospinning is regarded as a process in that the shell fluid must be electrospinnable, whereas the core fluid can be or cannot be spinnable for creating the core-shell nanostructure [20]. Yu et al broke this concept to develop modified coaxial electrospinning, which was characterized by the exploitation of unspinnable fluids as the shell-working fluids for creating core-shell nanofibers [45,47]. On the one hand, the extension of shell fluids from the electrospinnable solutions to the unspinnable fluids would greatly expand the capability of electrospinning in creating novel core-shell nanofibers because the numbers of unspinnable fluids are far more than those electrospinnable ones.…”

“…However, for the multifluid process, unspinnable solutions can also be treated as long as one of them is electrospinnable [39][40][41]. The interfacial tensions between the spinnable and unspinnable solutions are able to play their roles in guiding those solutions to form the designed multichamber nanostructures [42][43][44][45]. These multiple-chamber nanostructures include bichamber core-shell and side-by-side (or Janus), trichamber core-shell and trisection sideby-side, and trichamber combinations of core-shell and Janus.…”

Preparation and Investigation of Cellulose Acetate/Gelatin Janus Nanofiber Wound Dressings Loaded with Zinc Oxide or Curcumin for Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity

“…These new techniques overcome the limitations of the traditional single-polymer, single-axis electrospinning method by allowing the simultaneous electrospinning of multiple polymers, thus maximizing the benefits of each polymer while mitigating their limitations [22][23][24][25]. Moreover, the advancement of multi-fluid electrospinning simplifies the spinning process and enables the creation of nanofibers with unique shapes [26]. Side-by-side electrospinning, in particular, enables the fabrication of nanofibers with a Janus structure, exhibiting distinct characteristics on each side.…”