The concept of using crack propagation in polymeric materials to control drug release and its first demonstration are reported. The composite drug delivery system consists of highly-textured superhydrophobic electrosprayed microparticle coatings, composed of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers poly(caprolactone) and poly(glycerol monostearate carbonate-cocaprolactone), and a cellulose/polyester core. The release of entrapped agents is controlled by the magnitude of applied strain, resulting in a graded response from water infiltration through the propagating patterned cracks in the coating. Strain-dependent delivery of the anticancer agents cisplatin and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin to esophageal cancer cells (OE33) in vitro is observed. Finally the device is integrated with an esophageal stent to demonstrate delivery of fluorescein diacetate, using applied tension, to an ex vivo esophagus.
Graphical AbstactDrug release is controlled by the magnitude of applied tensile strain through superhydrophobic composites. Strain-dependent in vitro delivery of anticancer agents (cisplatin and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin) to OE33 esophageal cancer cells and ex vivo delivery of fluorescein diacetate with esophageal stent integrated device are demonstrated. This system provides mechanoresponsive delivery for both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds.Correspondence to: Mark W. Grinstaff.[ †] Authors have contributed equally to this work.Supporting information for this article is given via a link at the end of the document Mechanoresponsive polymeric materials are of significant interest as key functional elements in self-healing assemblies, [1] sensors and electronics, [2] and biology/medicine. [3] Consequently, mechanoresponsive materials are actively being developed that respond to mechanical stimuli such as compression, [4] tension, [5] shear, [6] or ultrasound. [7] Implanted medical devices also experience many of these forces, and even exert their own mechanical forces during use (e.g., stents). [8] Our approach to designing functional mechanoresponsive materials for drug delivery uses crack propagation failure modes of composite materials to control drug release. We hypothesized that crack formation could be initiated and propagated through superhydrophobic coatings on a multilayered drug delivery system by applying tension, with consequent device wetting and drug release. Given our interests in triggered drug release from polymeric [9] and superhydrophobic [10] materials, we realized an opportunity to design and evaluate such a new drug delivery system for an esophageal stent. Herein, we report: (1) the fabrication of a multilayered electrosprayed polymeric device; (2) the entrapment and subsequent controlled release of both hydrophilic and lipophilic agents under various applied strains; (3) analysis of the crack propagation mechanism with determination of the fracture toughness and critical strain energy release rate; (4) the demonstration of in vitro tension-mediated delivery of cisplatin...