Preparation of Electrospun Small Intestinal Submucosa/Poly(caprolactone-co-Lactide-co-glycolide) Nanofiber Sheet as a Potential Drug Carrier

Abstract

In this work, we chose small intestine submucosa (SIS) as a drug carrier because SIS possesses good biocompatibility, non-immunogenic property and bio-resorbability, and performed electrospinning for preparation of nanofiber sheets (NS). For the preparation of drug-loaded electrospun SIS nanofiber sheets as a drug carrier, we used poly(ε-caprolactone-ran-l-lactide) (PCLA) copolymers to improve the electrospinning performance of SIS. The electrospinning of SIS and PCLA provided the electrospun SIS/PCLA (S/P)-nanofiber sheet (S/P-NS) with adjustable thickness and areas. The electrospun S/P-NS showed different porosities, pore sizes, diameters and tensile strengths depending on the ratios between SIS and PCLA. The electrospun S/P-NS was used as a drug carrier of the dexamethasone (Dex) and silver sulfadiazine (AgS) drug related to anti-inflammation. Dex-loaded S/P-NS and AgS-loaded S/P-NS was successfully fabricated by the electrospinning. In the in vitro and in vivo release, we successfully confirmed the possibility for the sustained release of Dex and AgS from the Dex-S/P-NS and AgS-S/P-NS for three weeks. In addition, the sustained Dex and AgS release suppressed the macrophage infiltration. Collectively, we achieved feasible development of SIS nanofiber sheets for a sustained Dex and AgS delivery system.

Membranous Extracellular Matrix-Based Scaffolds for Skin Wound Healing

“…To enhance the antibacterial property of ECM-based wound dressings, different antibacterial drugs, including rifampicin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, and minocycline, have been used as additives (Table 2) [13,[95][96][97]. Gentamicin loaded SIS, for instance, was proved to exert sufficient antimicrobial activity against a broad array of pathogens (E. coli, S. epidermidis, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, and S. aureus), and particularly, the antibacterial effects could be maintained for up to 7 days [98].…”

“…Because prolonged inflammation may impair normal wound healing, many antiinflammatory substances, such as drugs and nucleic acids, have been loaded on wound dressings to accelerate wound healing. For example, dexamethasone (Dex) and silver sulfadiazine (AgS) have been used to strengthen the anti-inflammatory function of SIS (Table 2) [13]. With the release of Dex and AgS, the SIS scaffolds effectively suppressed macrophage infiltration [13].…”

“…For example, dexamethasone (Dex) and silver sulfadiazine (AgS) have been used to strengthen the anti-inflammatory function of SIS (Table 2) [13]. With the release of Dex and AgS, the SIS scaffolds effectively suppressed macrophage infiltration [13].…”

“…With high surface-to-volume ratios, electrospun fibers are capable of recruiting repair cells and have deep interactions with the wound area [149][150][151][152]. They can be designed for specific purposes, such as to improve the mechanical strength of scaffolds, to enhance the anti-degradation ability, to carry therapeutic agents, and for gene therapy applications [13,153,154]. For example, by using the method of blend electrospinning, Kim et al have With high surface-to-volume ratios, electrospun fibers are capable of recruiting repair cells and have deep interactions with the wound area [149][150][151][152].…”

“…For instance, to meliorate the physical or chemical defects of traditional ECM scaffolds, different crosslinking methods have been developed [11]. Furthermore, diverse macromolecules, either natural or synthetic, have been used as functional additives to produce ECM-based implants [12][13][14][15][16]. In light of the functional requirements of normal wound healing, many types of biomolecules, nanoparticles, and drugs have been utilized to engineer new generations of ECM-based biomaterials, which can stimulate a specific wound healing stage or event to facilitate chronic wound healing.…”