Trapping tetracycline-loaded nanoparticles into polycaprolactone fiber networks for periodontal regeneration therapy

Abstract

The controlled delivery of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory agents, or chemotherapeutic agents to the periodontal site is a recognized strategy to improve the efficiency of regenerative processes of hard tissues. A novel approach based on the trapping of tetracycline hydrochloride-loaded particles in polycaprolactone nanofibers was used to guide the regeneration processes of periodontal tissue at the gum interface. Chitosan nanoparticles loaded with different levels of tetracycline hydrochloride (up to 5% wt) were prepared by solution nebulization induced by electrical forces (i.e. electrospraying). The fine tuning of process parameters allows to obtain nanoparticles with tailored sizes ranging from 0.485 ± 0.147 µm to 0.639 ± 0.154 µm. The tetracycline hydrochloride release profile had a predominant burst effect for the first 70% of release followed by a relatively slow release over 24 h, which is promising for oral drug delivery. We also demonstrated that trapping tetracycline hydrochloride-loaded particles with submicrometer diameters into a polycaprolactone fiber network contributed to slowing the release of tetracycline hydrochloride from the nanoparticles, thus providing a more prolonged release in the periodontal pocket during clinical therapy. Preliminary studies on human mesenchymal stem cells confirm the viability of cells up to 5 days after culture, and thereby, validate the use of nanoparticle-/nanofiber-integrated systems in periodontal therapies.

Chitosan Microgels and Nanoparticles via Electrofluidodynamic Techniques for Biomedical Applications

“…Moreover, their capability to selectively respond to environmental change in vitro or in vivo is mainly related to the large quantities of amino groups on its chains [29] which are able to induce volume phase transitions from swollen to collapsed states or vise versa, with relevant effects on molecular release. Indeed, this peculiar feature is extremely important from applicative point of view, taking into account how drug release capacity of the particles significantly changes from a swollen to a collapsed state as a function of pH, thus rendering chitosan microgels and nanoparticles, particularly promising as carriers in acid microenvironment for oral delivery [30], tissue regeneration [31] and cancer therapy [32].…”

Highly polydisperse keratin rich nanofibers: Scaffold design and in vitro characterization

“…16 Otherwise, proteins such as gelatin or silk have been also successfully used as carriers of different molecules to induce specific tissue regeneration or antibacterial agents to avoid infections during healing process. In the last years, the use of bicomponent fibers combining synthetic polymers with proteins as collagen, 31,32 gelatin, 3,33 silk, 13 and chitosan 34,35 has been just largely explored. This fibrous protein is present not only in the native ECM but also in different districts including wool, hair, fur, hooves, and feather.…”

Atomic Force Microscopy: A Powerful Tool to Address Scaffold Design in Tissue Engineering

“…For instance, it is universally recognized that characteristic size of fibres into nanometre range, due to the higher extend of surface respect to volume, may drastically increase biological response, by exerting novel and unique physical, mechanical and electrical properties [55] able to improve cell interactions at the tissue interface. More interestingly, AFM also offers the opportunity to investigate the effect of morphological and biochemical signals provided by multifunctional scaffolds [56,57]. For instance, Li et al have used this approach to evaluate the contribution of phase morphology along the fibre surface on mechanical behaviour of electrospun silk fibres [58].…”