Core/Shell electrospun fibers as biodegradable scaffolds for sustained drug delivery in Wound Healing applications

• Published in: Pneumologie
• Main Authors: Repanas, A, Zernetsch, H, Glasmacher, B
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 10.06.2014
• ISSN: 0934-8387; 1438-8790
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1376854

Aim: During the process of wound healing it is really important to keep the area safe from bacteria infections and treat possible inflammation incidents. Model antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agents can be encapsulated into a drug delivery carrier for combined treatment. Electrospinning (E-Spin) has been acknowledged as a versatile technique for the production of biodegradable fibrous scaffolds to encapsulate therapeutics for wound healing. Methods: Both single jet and coaxial jet E-Spin were used as a method to produce fibers. Polycaprolactone (PCL), Benzoin (BZ) and Acetyl Salicylic Acid (ASA) were dissolved in 99.8Vol.% 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol (TFE) for the single jet E-Spin. For the coaxial jet E-Spin the same solution was used for the core while a solution of Poly-lactic acid (PLA) or PCL in the same solvent was used as the sheath solution. Morphology of the fibrous scaffolds as well as fiber diameter and pore size were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). After incubation in PBS and acetate buffer at 37 oC inside a water bath the absorbance was measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer to evaluate the cumulative release of the drugs and the release mechanism. Results: The coaxial approach resulted in fibers with an average diameter of 1.83 & 0.68 µm and an average pore size of 16.11 & 9.09µm2 for BZ and ASA respectively. Furthermore, the amount of drug released in the first 8 hours was reduced from 65.1% to 11.65% for BZ and from 58.32% to 33.14% for ASA while the encapsulation efficiency increased from 87.5% to 97.1% for BZ and from 34.36% to 86.13% for ASA, in contrast to single jet electrospun fibers, following a Fickian diffusion in all cases. Conclusions: Biodegradable scaffolds from PCL core-shell fibers can be considered as promising drug delivery carriers for sustained release of antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agents in wound healing applications. References: A. Szentivanyi et. al. A review of developments in electrospinning technology: New opportunities for the design of artificial tissue structures. Int J Artif Organs 2010;34:986 – 997 A. Szentivanyi et. al. Electrospun cellular microenvironments: Understanding controlled release and scaffold structure. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 2011;63:209 – 220