Engineering and evaluation of forcespun functionalized carbon nano-onions reinforced poly ( ε-caprolactone) composite nanofibers for pH-responsive drug release.

Engineering and evaluation of forcespun functionalized carbon nano-onions reinforced poly (ε-caprolactone) composite nanofibers for pH-responsive drug release. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2020 Jul;112:110928 Authors: Mamidi N, Zuníga AE, Villela-Castrejón J Abstract Nanofibers and smart polymers are potentially fascinating biomaterials for the sustained release of therapeutic agents and tissue engineering applications. The current study describes a new class of pH-controlled polycaprolactone/mercaptophenyl methacrylate functionalized carbon nano-onions (PCL/f-CNOs) composite nanofibers by Forcespinning® (FS) with a sustained drug release profile. The morphology and structural characteristics of PCL/f-CNOs nanofibers were scrutinized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The morphological results revealed that FS provided homogeneous and bead free nanofibers with average diameters from approximately 215 nm to 596 nm. PCL/f-CNOs composite fibers exhibited pH-responsive release of DOX over 15 days; pH 6.5 showed 87%, and pH 5.0 presented around 99% of DOX release. Drug release measurements showed that the π-π stacking interactions between DOX and f-CNOs have led to a controlled DOX release from forcespun PCL/f-CNOs fibers. Owing to the f-CNOs amalgamation, PCL/f-CNOs fibers unveiled enhanced tensile strength (3.16 MPa) as compared to pristine PCL fibers. ...
Source: Appl Human Sci - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl Source Type: research