Polymeric Nanofibers as Novel Carriers for the Delivery of Therapeutic Molecules

Abstract

Nanotechnology and nanoscience are relatively new technological endeavors that encompass the study, control, manipulation, and assembly of multifarious nanoscale components into materials, systems and devices to serve human interest and needs. Among the various currently used nanostructures for high technology applications polymeric nanofibers have received immense interest due to the ease of fabrication, controllable size/shape, and properties. Polymeric nanofibers have been extensively investigated for diversified applications, including filtration, barrier fabrics, wipes, personal care, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications. This review mainly focuses on the fabrication of therapeutic agent loaded polymeric nanofibers and their controlled/sustained release behavior for the delivery of these active agents for various therapeutic applications. The nonwoven biodegradable polymeric nanofiber matrices are currently being reported as topical/local therapeutic agent delivery systems and as resorbable/biodegradable gauze for wound healing applications.

Polymeric Nanofibers in Tissue Engineering

“…The apparent diffusivities of various dyes in such hydrogels were measured, and it was determined that the diffusivities of the dyes decreased with increasing hydrogel peptide concentrations. 83 Additional studies used single-molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to determine the diffusion coefficient and release kinetics of proteins in acetyl-(Arg-Ala-Asp-Ala) 4 -CONH 2 [Ac-(RADA) 4 -CONH 2 ] peptide hydrogels. Here, it was found that in addition to nanofiber density, the release depended on the size of the protein to be released.…”

“…Since polymeric nanofibers are well suited for such applications, they are gaining popularity in tissue engineering and have been used in attempts to regenerate a variety of tissues. The popularity of nanofibers is demonstrated by the number of reviews focusing on their production, [1][2][3] application, 1,2,4 and interaction with cells. 5 This review discusses information not previously reviewed with regard to the fabrication of polymeric nanofibers in the context of its effect on the physical properties of nanofibrous scaffolds, relevant to tissue engineering, including fiber degradation and control of pore structure and cell infiltration.…”

“…In this field, the term ''nanofiber'' is typically used to describe fibers with diameters ranging from 1 to 1000 nm. 4 The small diameter of nanofibers closely matches the size scale of extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers, allowing them to be used as biomimetic scaffolds, [6][7][8] and the high surface area-to-volume ratio is ideal for cell attachment 9 and drug loading. 3,10 Compared to macroscale surfaces, nanofibers have shown higher rates of protein adsorption, a key mediator in cell attachment to a biomaterial surface.…”

Controlled gentamicin release from multi-layered electrospun nanofibrous structures of various thicknesses

“…[1][2][3] The specific morphology of nanofibrous nonwoven materials makes them suitable for wound dressings. 3,4 Their high porosity, consisting of relatively small pores, enables good permeability for oxygen and water but protects wounds from dehydration and bacterial penetration. 3,5 Moreover, the large surface area and high pore volume of nanofibers promote the migration of keratinocytes on the wound surface and may play a role in accelerating the healing process.…”

Multilayer Cell-Seeded Polymer Nanofiber Constructs for Soft-Tissue Reconstruction

“…Additionally, a tissue engineered scaffold can be tailored to replace the missing tissue. Construct design choices include material, material processing, addition of signaling factors to be released locally, [1][2][3][4] addition of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) polymers, [5][6][7][8][9] cell seeding, 10,11 and conjugation of peptides or proteins for cell attachment. 12 Patient-specific autologous cells can be seeded onto a biocompatible polymeric scaffold, reducing the risk of immune rejection of the construct.…”