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Nanocarriers have attracted broad attention in cancer therapy because of their ability to carry drugs preferentially into cancer tissue, but their application is still limited due to the systemic toxicity and low delivery efficacy of intravenously delivered chemotherapeutics. In this study, we develop a localized drug delivery device with combination of an active-targeting micellar system and implantable polymeric nanofibers. This device is achieved first by the formation of hydrophobic doxorubicin (Dox)-encapsulated active-targeting micelles assembled from a folate-conjugated PCL-PEG copolymer. Then, fabrication of the core-shell polymeric nanofibers is achieved with coaxial electrospinning in which the core region consists of a mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and the micelles and the outer shell layer consists of cross-linked gelatin. In contrast to the systematic administration of therapeutics via repeatedly intravenous injections of micelles, this implantable device has these capacities of greatly reducing the drug dose, the frequency of administration and side effect of chemotherapeutic agents while maintaining highly therapeutic efficacy against artificial solid tumors. This micelle-based nanofiber device can be developed toward the next generation of nanomedicine for efficient and safe cancer therapy.

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It is very desirable to develop advanced sustainable biomedical materials with superior biosafety and bioactivity for clinical applications. Herein, biomass-derived multilayer-structured absorbable microparticles (MQ x T y) composed of starches and plant polyphenols are readily constructed for the safe and effective treatment of bone defects with intractable bleeding by coating multiple layers of quaternized starch (Q +) and tannic acid onto microporous starch microparticles via facile layer-by-layer assembly. MQ x T y microparticles exhibit efficient degradability, low cytotoxicity, and good blood compatibility. Among various MQ x T y microparticles with distinct Q + /T − double layers, MQ 2 T 2 with outmost polyphenol layer possess the unique properties of platelet adhesion/activation and red blood cell aggregation, resulting in the best hemostatic performance. In a mouse cancellous-bone-defect model, MQ 2 T 2 exhibits the favorable hemostatic effect, low inflammation/immune responses, high biodegradability, and promoted bone repair. A proof-of-concept study of beagles further confirms the good performance of MQ 2 T 2 in controlling intractable bleeding of bone defects. The present work demonstrates that such biomass-based multilayer-structured microparticles are very promising biomedical materials for clinical use.

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