Electrosprayed nanoparticles and electrospun nanofibers based on natural materials: applications in tissue regeneration, drug delivery and pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Nanotechnology refers to the fabrication, characterization, and application of substances in nanometer scale dimensions for various ends. The influence of nanotechnology on the healthcare industry is substantial, particularly in the areas of disease diagnosis and treatment. Recent investigations in nanotechnology for drug delivery and tissue engineering have delivered high-impact contributions in translational research, with associated pharmaceutical products and applications. Over the past decade, the synthesis of nanofibers or nanoparticles via electrostatic spinning or spraying, respectively, has emerged as an important nanostructuring methodology. This is due to both the versatility of the electrospinning/electrospraying process and the ensuing control of nanofiber/nanoparticle surface parameters. Electrosprayed nanoparticles and electrospun nanofibers are both employed as natural or synthetic carriers for the delivery of entrapped drugs, growth factors, health supplements, vitamins, and so on. The role of nanofiber/nanoparticle carriers is substantiated by the programmed, tailored, or targeted release of their contents in the guise of tissue engineering scaffolds or medical devices for drug delivery. This review focuses on the nanoformulation of natural materials via the electrospraying or electrospinning of nanoparticles or nanofibers for tissue engineering or drug delivery/pharmaceutical purposes. Here, we classify the natural materials with respect to their animal/plant origin and macrocyclic, small molecule or herbal active constituents, and further categorize the materials according to their proteinaceous or saccharide nature.

Polymeric nanofiber coating with tunable combinatorial antibiotic delivery prevents biofilm-associated infection in vivo

“…This coating used electrospinning techniques (34,35), which permitted the cospinning of two or more separate polymer fibers with different compositions and release kinetics that were loaded with two (or potentially more) antibiotics to provide a unique approach to control and optimize local drug delivery from the implant surface. The successful generation of this conformal coating was facilitated by the low annealing temperature, which was high enough to melt the PCL fibers but low enough not to inflict any potential effects on antibiotic activity.…”

Theranostic Fibers for Simultaneous Imaging and Drug Delivery

“…However, time-consuming processes comprising multiple steps are typically required for the preparation of such multifunctional carriers, which are also very difficult to produce on a large scale. 3,[7][8][9][10] New methods for creating nanoscale theranostic systems are thus much sought after.…”

Electrospinning of natural polymers for advanced wound care: towards responsive and adaptive dressings

“…12,34 The major motivation is to achieve the highest possible level of biomimicry, recreating the native ECM. Moreover, these natural macromolecules are biocompatible and biodegradable, and some of them possess also intrinsic antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.…”

“…13,14,[31][32][33] Particular attention has been devoted to the electrospinning of materials derived from natural resources, thanks to their similarity to bio-macromolecules, 12,34 as it will be discussed in the following sections.…”