Electrospun Nanofibrous Silk Fibroin Membranes Containing Gelatin Nanospheres for Controlled Delivery of Biomolecules

Abstract

Development of novel and effective drug delivery systems for controlled release of bioactive molecules is of critical importance in the field of regenerative medicine. Here, oppositely charged gelatin nanospheres are incorporated into silk fibroin nanofibers through a colloidal electrospinning technique. A novel fibrous nano-in-nano drug delivery system is fabricated without the use of any organic solvent. The distribution of fluorescently labeled gelatin A and B nanospheres inside the nanofibers can be fine-tuned by simple adjustment of the weight ratio between the nanospheres and the relative feeding rate of core and shell solutions containing nanospheres by using single and coaxial nozzle electrospinning, respectively. Incorporation of vancomycin-loaded gelatin B nanospheres into the silk fibroin nanofibrous membranes results in a more sustained release of vancomycin, compared to the gelatin nanospheres free membranes. In addition, these membranes exhibit excellent and prolonged antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, these membranes support the attachment, spreading, and proliferation of periodontal ligament cells. These results suggest that the beneficial properties of gelatin nanospheres can be exploited to improve the biological functionality of electrospun nanofibrous silk fibroin membranes.

Monitoring local delivery of vancomycin from gelatin nanospheres in zebrafish larvae

“…This seems to correlate with the relatively rapid release of vancomycin from gelatin nanospheres, as reported in our previous in vitro studies. [27][28][29] The release kinetics of antibiotics from gelatin nanospheres depends strongly on the binding affinity of antibiotics to gelatin nanospheres. 27 This affinity is controlled by several factors including the local pH and ionic strength as well as the enzymatic degradation of gelatin nanospheres.…”

“…[18][19][20][21] Second, the charged nature of gelatin nanospheres facilitates controlled delivery and release of oppositely charged macromolecules such as growth factors [22][23][24] and nucleic acids 25,26 as well as small biomolecules such as vancomycin and colistin. [27][28][29] Third, the cross-linking density of gelatin nanospheres can be simply adjusted to tune the degradation rate of gelatin nanospheres. 22,24,27,30 Finally, the potential of gelatin nanospheres as carriers for local delivery of biomolecules was confirmed previously in vitro.…”

Electrospun Fibrous Architectures for Drug Delivery, Tissue Engineering and Cancer Therapy

“…This time‐programmed dual‐drug release manifested the highest bone repair efficiency. Song et al fabricated a nano‐in‐nano structure by encapsulating vancomycin‐loaded gelatin nanospheres into the silk fibroin membranes through single‐nozzle or co‐axial electrospinning. The drug‐loaded nanoparticles were further entrapped within the core section of electrospun fibers, enabling an extended drug release up to 14 days.…”

Core-Shell Nanostructures for Drug Delivery and Theranostics

“…This is most likely due to the solubility enhancement of curcumin as shown in the phase solubility test [46]. A novel strategy was proposed to control the release of hydrophobic drugs by using oppositely charged nanospheres to increase the interaction with the drug [47]. Here, vancomycin and oppositely charged gelatin nanospheres were incorporated into silk fibroin/PEO nanofibers by using electrospinning technique [47].…”