Ultraviolet Light‐Assisted Electrospinning of Core–Shell Fully Cross‐Linked P(NIPAAm‐co‐NIPMAAm) Hydrogel‐Based Nanofibers for Thermally Induced Drug Delivery Self‐Regulation

Abstract

Body tissues and organs have complex functions which undergo intrinsic changes during medical treatments. For the development of ideal drug delivery systems, understanding the biological tissue activities is necessary to be able to design materials capable of changing their properties over time, on the basis of the patient's tissue needs. In this study, a nanofibrous thermal‐responsive drug delivery system is developed. The thermo‐responsivity of the system makes it possible to self‐regulate the release of bioactive molecules, while reducing the drug delivery at early stages, thus avoiding high concentrations of drugs which may be toxic for healthy cells. A co‐axial electrospinning technique is used to fabricate core–shell cross‐linked copolymer poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐N‐isopropylmethacrylamide) (P(NIPAAm‐co‐NIPMAAm)) hydrogel‐based nanofibers. The obtained nanofibers are made of a core of thermo‐responsive hydrogel containing a drug model, while the outer shell is made of poly‐l‐lactide‐co‐caprolactone (PLCL). The custom‐made electrospinning apparatus enables the in situ cross‐linking of P(NIPAAm‐co‐NIPMAAm) hydrogel into a nanoscale confined space, which improves the electrospun nanofiber drug dosing process, by reducing its provision and allowing a self‐regulated release control. The mechanism of the temperature‐induced release control is studied in depth, and it is shown that the system is a promising candidate as a “smart” drug delivery platform.

Personalized Reusable Face Masks with Smart Nano‐Assisted Destruction of Pathogens for COVID‐19: A Visionary Road

“… [69] Among a few techniques devoted to building polymer micro‐ and nanostructures, electrospinning is considered the most promising and outstanding method owing to its versatility and wide range of potential applications [70] . One‐dimensional (1D) nanostructured materials developed by electrospinning have been recently considered as fascinating candidates for the production of nanomaterial‐based devices with tunable features and exceptional functionalities [71] . Electrospinning is an ultrathin fiber fabrication technique aiming at transforming polymer masses into nanofibers.…”

Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds: Review of Current Progress in the Properties and Manufacturing Process, and Possible Applications for COVID-19

“…Their developed nanoctruture pillows have the specificity of fast photothermal responsiveness for near-infrared (NIR) light-controlled on-demand drug delivery. The innovative platform consists of electrospun PLLA loaded with a rhodamine B drug model that encapsulates platonic hydrogel P(NIPAAm-co-NIPMAAm)/AuNR [ 138 ]. The researchers demonstrated that this emergent nanotechnology is considered an excellent candidate for achieving on-demand drug release in synergy with photothermal treatment.…”

“…As reported in many publications, technical reports, and communications, ENS are used in the biosensing [ 137 , 138 ], agriculture protection [ 139 , 140 ], the fermentation food industry [ 141 , 142 ], and biocatalytic remediation of the environment and energy [ 143 , 144 ]. In fact, to monitor food and agriculture using simpler, faster, and less expensive sensitive detection methods of foodborne illness, researchers and developers have exploited the potential given by the electrospinning technique to innovate 1D micro- and nano-biosensors [ 145 ].…”

Fast Dissolving Electrospun Nanofibers Fabricated from Jelly Fig Polysaccharide/Pullulan for Drug Delivery Applications

“…Recent studies demonstrated that the electrospinning technique has been widely employed in health care systems including drug delivery, diagnostics, theranostics, tissue engineering, and wound healing [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. The multilayer electrospun membrane-based personalized reusable face mask has also been developed with photothermal application to disinfect the virus particles [ 25 ].…”