Zein nanoparticle‐embedded electrospun PVA nanofibers as wound dressing for topical delivery of anti‐inflammatory diclofenac

Abstract

Bioactive wound dressings from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and zein nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with diclofenac (DLF) were prepared successfully by the single jet electrospinning method. DLF‐loaded zein NPs with an average diameter of ∼228 nm were prepared using anti‐solvent precipitation method. The formulation of zein:DLF 1:1 exhibited optimum encapsulation efficiency of 47.80%. The NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta‐potential measurement, and differential scanning calorimetry. In vitro, drug release profiles of the DLF‐loaded zein NPs, and PVA–zein NPs were also studied within 120 h and showed the release efficiency of nearly 80% from zein NPs. A more controlled release of DLF was achieved by embedding the zein NPs in the PVA nanofibers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze possible interactions between different components of the fabricated dressings. The mechanical properties of the developed dressings were also evaluated using uniaxial tensile testing. Young's modulus (E) of the dressings decreased after inclusion of zein NPs within the PVA nanofibers. Moreover, fibroblast culturing experiments proved that the composite dressings supported better cell attachment and proliferation compared to PVA nanofibers, by exhibiting moderate hydrophilicity. The results suggested that the electrospun composite dressing of PVA nanofibers and zein NPs is a promising topical drug‐delivery system and have a great potential for wound healing application. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46643.

Use of Nanoparticles in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

“…Complex process of wound healing makes the full reconstruction of functional skin a challenging task after injuries. Various NP based dressings have been developed for delivering bioactive agents with spatiotemporal control for enhancing the wound healing process (Berthet et al, 2017; Ghalei et al, 2018; Follmann et al, 2019). Recently, Kheradvar et al have designed NP based delivery system for vitamin E due to its antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and scar-prevention properties for wound healing applications (Kheradvar et al, 2018).…”

Tough and Low Friction Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels Loaded with Anti-inflammatories for Cartilage Replacement

“…The samples loaded only with the drugs have an initial burst on release. This burst effect is usually associated with the diffusion of the free or loosely bound drug from the area near the hydrogel surface into the surrounding medium [65]. Although in both cases, drug release is almost complete within the first 24 h, the amount of DFN loaded/released is nearly double that of KTL.…”

Experimental design to evaluate properties of electrospun fibers of zein/poly (ethylene oxide) for biomaterial applications

“…Zein, pure or in combination with other polymers, has been studied to obtain polymeric fibers by electrospinning, mainly for biomedical applications. Polycaprolactone (PCL), 13 ethyl cellulose, 14 poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), 15 poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate), 16 poly(l‐lactide), 17 and poly(glycerol sebacate) 18 are polymers that have been used together with zein for this purpose. Presenting some properties, such as biocompatibility, high degradation rate in the body, and low cytotoxicity, 19,20 poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) is another polymer that has been used for the production of polymeric fibers by electrospinning.…”