Effect of Ionic and Non-Ionic Surfactant on Bovine Serum Albumin Encapsulation and Biological Properties of Emulsion-Electrospun Fibers

Abstract

Emulsion electrospinning is a method of modifying a fibers’ surface and functional properties by encapsulation of the bioactive molecules. In our studies, bovine serum albumin (BSA) played the role of the modifier, and to protect the protein during the electrospinning process, the W/O (water-in-oil) emulsions were prepared, consisting of polymer and micelles formed from BSA and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate–S) or nonionic (Tween 80–T) surfactant. It was found that the micelle size distribution was strongly dependent on the nature and the amount of the surfactant, indicating that a higher concentration of the surfactant results in a higher tendency to form smaller micelles (4–9 µm for S and 8–13 µm for T). The appearance of anionic surfactant micelles reduced the diameter of the fiber (100–700 nm) and the wettability of the nonwoven surface (up to 77°) compared to un-modified PCL polymer fibers (100–900 nm and 130°). The use of a non-ionic surfactant resulted in better loading efficiency of micelles with albumin (about 90%), lower wettability of the nonwoven fabric (about 25°) and the formation of larger fibers (100–1100 nm). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to detect the presence of the protein, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry was used to determine the loading efficiency and the nature of the release. The results showed that the location of the micelles influenced the release profiles of the protein, and the materials modified with micelles with the nonionic surfactant showed no burst release. The release kinetics was characteristic of the zero-order release model compared to anionic surfactants. The selected surfactant concentrations did not adversely affect the biological properties of fibrous substrates, such as high viability and low cytotoxicity of RAW macrophages 264.7.

Ultrasensitive Nanofiber Biosensor: Rapid In Situ Chromatic Detection of Bacteria for Healthcare Innovation

“…The alignment did not affect the nanofibers’ diameter since the randomly oriented nanofibers (R) and the cross-aligned nanofibers (W) had the same average nanofiber diameter with a similar distribution, 718 ± 184 and 720 ± 177 μm, respectively ( p -value = 0.3). On the other hand, the addition of Tween 80 in the polymer solutions for electrospinning (0.1, 0.5, 2, and 4 v/v%) in the shell affected both the size and distribution of nanofibers (uniformity), which is aligned with another report, with detailed discussion in the Supporting Information …”

“…On the other hand, the addition of Tween 80 in the polymer solutions for electrospinning (0.1, 0.5, 2, and 4 v/v%) in the shell affected both the size and distribution of nanofibers (uniformity), which is aligned with another report, with detailed discussion in the Supporting Information. 29 Regarding the alignment evaluation, the SEM images were preanalyzed and unframed, and the size of the region of interest (ROI) was defined. Then, with the ImageJ plugin (OrientationJ), each image was analyzed to get a color-coded map, in which the hue corresponds to the degree of alignment.…”

An Overview of the Electrospinning of Polymeric Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications Related to Drug Delivery

“…When these criteria are not met, it often results in the burst release of the drug from the electrospun scaffolds. [80,81] Boncu et al ( 2022) conducted a study to examine the impact of drug concentration (ampicillin trihydrate, a hydrophobic antibiotic) on electrospun PLA NFs. The drug was incorporated using the blending electrospinning technique at concentrations of 4%, 8%, and 12%.…”

“…[86] In coaxial electrospinning, the miscibility of the polymers and the solvents used in the core and the shell solution is significant to ensure sustained release from the core-shell fibers. [81] The sustained release of doxycycline from core-shell PCL/PVA NFs was studied by . The released doxycycline from the NF coating exhibited effective inhibition of bacterial growth for 8 weeks in an in vivo setting.…”

“…This difficulty arises from their high solubility in the release media, and limited compatibility with hydrophobic polymers. [81] In addition, more detailed clinical studies for toxicity have to be conducted in the future for the approval of electrospun NFs because the toxic residue of the solvent used in the polymer solution can be retained in the fiber and released with the drug. [145] Therefore, recently there has been more focus on green processing of NFs without the use of toxic chemicals.…”