Formation of drug-loaded electrospun twin fibers

Abstract

Electrospinning is a well-known process for producing submicrometer fibers, which have wide applications in many fields, especially in tissue engineering scaffolds and drug-delivery systems. This paper presents the formation of drug-loaded electrospun twin fibers. The correlations between the twin fiber formation and the polymer materials or the loaded drugs were studied by using poly(l-lactide) and poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) as electrospinning materials, and rifampin and paclitaxel as loaded drugs. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the formation of twin fibers is significantly affected by the loaded drug but not the polymer material. A possible reason for twin fiber formation was analyzed. Electrospinning is a well-known process [1-4] for producing micro-or nanofibers for use as tissue engineering scaffolds, drug controlled-release carriers, filtration, and biosensors. The materials used and the preparation conditions influence the shape of the ultrafine fibers formed. To date, several kinds of electrospun fibers have been prepared, including ultrafine fibers with beads on the string [5,6], fibers with ribbon cross-sections [7,8] and in particular, fibers with round cross-sections [9][10][11]. Furthermore, electrospun fibers with nanopores on the fiber surface have been prepared and characterized [12][13][14][15]. Recently, Varesano et al.[16] fabricated crimped polymer nanofibers by air-driven electrospinning.One of the most important medical applications of electrospun ultrafine fibers is their use as drug controlled release carriers. Although there are limited studies on this application, it has attracted increasing attention [17][18][19][20][21]. For example, Tungprapa et al. [17] examined the release characteristics of four model drugs from drug-loaded electrospun cellulose acetate fiber mats. The results showed that the release rate of the four model drugs from the drugloaded electrospun cellulose acetate fiber mats were greater than that from the corresponding as-cast films. Zeng and co-workers [18,19] explored the preparation of rifampinloaded electrospun PLLA fibers and later studied the influence of the drug compatibility with the polymer solution on the release kinetics of such electrospun fiber formulations. It showed that the burst release of the drug can be avoided by using compatible drugs with polymers and that drug release can follow nearly zero-order kinetics due to degradation of the PLLA fibers in the presence of proteinase K. This paper presents the formation of drug-loaded electrospun twin fibers. The correlations between the twin fiber formation and the polymer materials used for electrospinning or the loaded drugs were studied and a possible mechanism for twin fiber formation analyzed. The results have great significance for designing and preparing new drug controlled-release systems and for further study into the mechanisms of drug controlled release.

Preparation of fiber-microsphere scaffolds for loading bioactive substances in gradient amounts

“…Poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) (LA/GA=3:1, n M = 8.95×10 4 ) and PLGA (LA/GA= 1:1, n M =3.05×10 4 ) were synthesized in our laboratory. The number-average relative molecular mass of PLGA was determined using gel permeation chromatography.…”

“…Electrospun membranes have nanofibrous structures with large surface-to-volume ratios and interconnecting pores, and can be tailored to mimic the structure and composition of a natural extracellular matrix [1,2]. Several modified electrospinning techniques such as blending electrospinning [3,4], emulsion electrospinning [5,6], coaxial electrospinning [7,8], and emulsion-coaxial electrospinning [9] have been developed for delivering bioactive molecules via electrospun fibers. Electrospun fibers can protect active agents from environmental influences and achieve sustained and smooth release of these agents for an optimal period of time.…”

Quantificação de fármacos antituberculose em nanofibras por eletroforese capilar

“…Pela revisão da literatura encontramos estudos da encapsulação da RIFA (ZENG, KANG, SU, 2012;RUCKH et al, 2012;SHAIKH et al, 2012) e da ISO (SHAIKH et al, 2012) empregando a técnica de electrospinning. Da mesma forma encontramos um estudo da encapsulação simultâneo da RIFA e ácido fusídico utilizando a técnica de electrospinning (GILCHRIST et al, 2013).…”