Morphological Structures and Drug Release Effect of Multiple Electrospun Nanofibre Membrane Systems Based on PLA, PCL, and PCL/Magnetic Nanoparticle Composites

Abstract

Biopolymers are good carrier materials in relation to efficient release sustainability for encapsulated drugs. In particular, electrospun polymer/composite fibre membranes can offer greater benefits owing to their competitive release features as well as large specific surface areas. In this study, multiple electrospun nanofibre membrane systems were utilised including different material systems such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and PCL/magnetic nanoparticle (MP) composites loaded with tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as a therapeutic compound for their potential use in drug delivery applications. Such electrospun nanofibres were investigated to understand how composite constituents could tailor surface morphology for drug release control and biodegradation effect of PCL electrospun nanofibers on a long term for different drug release systems. Fibre diameter appeared to be decreased considerably with the addition of TCH drug. It was also evident that average fibre diameter was reduced when embedding MPs owing to the enhancement of solution conductivity. The encapsulation of TCH drug was found to be effective, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data revealed no significant change in the thermal stability of PCL with the inclusion of TCH and MPs. However, the use of TCH to PLA delayed the thermal degradation. Glass transition temperature ( T g ) and melting temperature ( T m ) of PCL were decreased with the inclusion of MPs and TCH. The degree of crystallinity ( X c ) for PCL diminished when incorporated with MPs. Additional TCH to PLA, PCL, and PCL/MP nanocomposites resulted in a moderate decrease in X c . TCH might be dispersed in an amorphous state within nanofibre membranes. Over the short-term periods, it was clearly seen that TCH release from PCL nanofibre membranes was higher as opposed to PLC/MP and PLA counterparts. On the contrary, such a drug release from PLC membranes became relatively slow owing to its high X c . Further, the mass loss results were consistent with those obtained from in vitro drug release. Overall, TCH release kinetics of PCL/TCH nanofibre membranes were better estimated by Zeng model as opposed to PLA/TCH counterparts.

Electrospun nanofibers of poly (lactic acid)/poly (ε‐caprolactone) blend for the controlled release of levetiracetam

“…In the electrospinning process, due to the rapid evaporation of solvent and high ionic interaction, a part of the drug accumulates on the nanofibers surface. [72] The drug absorbed on the nanofibers surface causes rapid release of the drug from the amorphous regions at early times (burst region). This study performed drug release at 37 C in a phosphate buffer solution.…”

Controlled long-term sustained release of poly(lactic acid) composite microspheres with dual-responsive cellulose nanocrystals

“…The shorter molecular chains of low molecular weight TCH generally enhanced chain mobility and facilitated polymer crystallization, decreasing the T g values. 31 However, a high TCH loading content may hinder the crystalline flow of the PLA molecules, slightly increasing T cc and T g , as observed in PLA-C 30 . This result is due to PLA crystallization caused by C-PMA and TCH, decreasing the T cc of the PLA composite microspheres.…”

“…2(g and h) indicate the successful encapsulation of the drug within the PLA composite microspheres. 31…”

Intelligent hydrogels and their biomedical applications

“…MNPs can be constructed into a one-dimensional framework to improve their unified magnetism, dispersibility, and uniformity. [96][97][98]…”

“…Intelligent/smart biomaterials enable drug delivery systems (DDS) to respond to physiological factors commonly related to various diseases and dosage methods, environmental stimuli like pH, redox, and enzyme activity, and exogenous stimuli such as ultrasound or temperature. 98,154,156 With the development of precision medicine, theranostics, and nucleotidebased therapies, DDS built with smart materials are gaining popularity. 157 A variety of biomaterials, such as polymers, lipids, proteins, and peptides, are being used to engineer drug delivery systems (DDS) at various length scales, ranging from the nanoscale (1 nm) to the macroscale (41 cm), for a variety of applications, e.g.…”