Electrospun Starch Nanofibers as a Delivery Carrier for Carvacrol as Anti‐Glioma Agent

Abstract

Phenolic compounds are prone to degradation from external deleterious conditions. Thus, a carrier for its delivery can be useful in protecting them and ensuring their optimal release profile. The objective of this study is to produce starch nanofibers as delivery carriers for carvacrol and to evaluate its in-vitro digestion simulation and anti-glioma activity. Nanofibers are produced by electrospinning of a starch solution where carvacrol is incorporated in various concentrations (20, 30, and 40% v/w; dry basis). The nanofibers are evaluated by in-vitro digestion simulation and anti-tumoral activity in C6 rat glioma cells and cytotoxicity in astrocytes. By measuring the residual amount of carvacrol after digestion, the starch nanofibers are shown to be a promising vehicle for the delivery of carvacrol by resisting in-vitro digestion. The carvacrol-loaded starch nanofibers result in up to 50% reduction in tumoral cells (C6 rat glioma cells). Free carvacrol elicits cytotoxicity in astrocytes after 72 h of treatment; interestingly the carvacrol-loaded starch nanofibers are not toxic to this cell. In view of the demand for natural drugs in pharmaceutical applications, the nanofibers may be promising for cancer complementary treatment.

The State of the Art of Natural Polymer Functionalized Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticle Composites for Drug Delivery Applications: A Review

“…This drug requires a good carrier to protect them and ensure the optimal release of the drug in a controlled pattern. Thus, incorporating carvacrol in starch nanofiber by electrospinning a starch solution serves a great deal [46]. Carvacrol was delivered successfully by resisting in vitro digestion and produced a 50% decline in tumoral cells in glioma cells of C6 rats.…”

“…50% reduction in cancer cells of rat C6 glioma cells. [46] Carboxymethyl starch -CMS@LDH(MgAl)@DOX, 5-Fu…”

Fabrication and Modelling of a Reservoir-Based Drug Delivery System for Customizable Release

“…Drug delivery systems (DDS) for the localized treatment of brain tumors, such as glioblastoma, after surgical resection have emerged as an alternative drug administration route, as they potentially offer an increased efficacy and reduce possible side effects, compared to systemic therapies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. For this purpose, different designs of DDS have been developed, including nano-and microparticles [9][10][11][12] fibers [13,14], meshes [15,16], wafers [17,18] and (injectable) hydrogels [19,20]. Especially, reservoir-based drug delivery systems (also referred to as depots) facilitate a sustained drug release [21,22].…”

Electrospinning Nanofibrous Sodium Alginate/β‐Cyclodextrin Composite Membranes for Methylene Blue Adsorption

“…[23] The electrospinning technology is efficient to prepare the randomly oriented nanofibrous membrane with high surface area and porosity. [24,25] By adjusting the parameters of electrospinning, the diameter and morphology of the fiber can be well controlled. For example, with the help of poly(vinyl alcohol) or poly(ethylene oxide) to improve its spinnability, SA could be electrospun to nanofibrous membrane, which exhibited the adsorption quantity of 2230 mg g -1 for MB.…”