Generating Elastic, Biodegradable Polyurethane/Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Fibrous Sheets with Controlled Antibiotic Release via Two-Stream Electrospinning

Abstract

Damage control laparotomy is commonly applied to prevent compartment syndrome following trauma but is associated with new risks to the tissue, including infection. To address the need for biomaterials to improve abdominal laparotomy management, we fabricated an elastic, fibrous composite sheet with two distinct submicrometer fiber populations: biodegradable poly(ester urethane) urea (PEUU) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), where the PLGA was loaded with the antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (PLGA-tet). A two-stream electrospinning setup was developed to create a uniform blend of PEUU and PLGA-tet fibers. Composite sheets were flexible with breaking strains exceeding 200%, tensile strengths of 5-7 MPa, and high suture retention capacity. The blending of PEUU fibers markedly reduced the shrinkage ratio observed for PLGA-tet sheets in buffer from 50% to 15%, while imparting elastomeric properties to the composites. Antibacterial activity was maintained for composite sheets following incubation in buffer for 7 days at 37 °C. In vivo studies demonstrated prevention of abscess formation in a contaminated rat abdominal wall model with the implanted material. These results demonstrate the benefits derivable from a two-stream electrospinning approach wherein mechanical and controlled-release properties are contributed by independent fiber populations and the applicability of this composite material to abdominal wall closure.

Characterization, drug loading and antibacterial activity of nanohydroxyapatite/polycaprolactone (nHA/PCL) electrospun membrane

“…The difference is also due to the factor of the different cell walls' structure of Gram-positive, which contain higher peptidoglycan than Gram-negative bacteria (Augustine et al 2014). Another study reported the use of TCH with different types of polymers for the treatment of infection in abdominal closure (Hong et al 2008). Electrospun TCH-loaded 10% (w/ w) nHA/PCL nanofibers could be efficient in use against bacterial infection at the bone interface.…”

Porous Polymeric Bioresorbable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

“…Given their morphology and their mechanical performances, these scaffolds can be employed for TE of hard tissues, such as bone and cartilage. For such applications PLA e PLAGA copolymers with different compositions have been successfully foamed either as plain materials [117,125,129] or in combination with inorganic substances [87,130]. Moreover, scCO 2 foaming is a powerful technology for the production of scaffolds loaded with biomolecules such as growth factors [131][132][133][134][135] and DNA [134,135] that, once released, have been shown to maintain their activity.…”

“…This opportunity has been extensively exploited to load fibres with biomolecules that were intended to be released upon contact with the biological environment. Among the several drugs employed, antibiotics [87][88][89], anti-inflammatory drugs [90][91][92] and anticancer drugs [93] have been mainly investigated.…”

“…Moreover, when patterned mats or mats made of aligned fibres are placed in EtOH they loose completely their original fibre orientation. These changes of scaffold dimension and of fibre morphology introduce obvious limitations in the use of those ES materials that undergo strong shrinkage during their sterilization and some authors have even excluded the use of such polymers for TE applications [87,134,135].…”

Engineering on the Straight and Narrow: The Mechanics of Nanofibrous Assemblies for Fiber-Reinforced Tissue Regeneration

“…34,94 New drug and gene delivery methods are emerging that will impart additional functionality, [129][130][131] potentially improving in vivo maturation rates and expanding the potential clinical application. Bioreactor systems that promote tissue growth via nutrient provision 132 and=or mechanical stimulation 133 will increasingly be utilized to foster nanofiber-based tissue development.…”