EUROPEAN CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES - EUROMAT 2021

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the development of functional polymeric nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery applications. Nanoparticles synthesized from stimuli-responsive materials enable the triggered release of the drugs at a controlled rate at the target. Although they have outstanding properties, nanoparticles require several modifications to escape the phagocytic activity of immune cells and release their cargo at the targeted site. On the other hand, electrospun patches loaded with specific drugs, are preferable for localized drug delivery. However, drug molecules released from the electrospun patches lack a carrier that favors their cellular uptake. Here, the association of nanoparticles with electrospun patches can be considered as a promising strategy to overcome the limitations and combine the advantages of each approach.

In this study, we focused on Rose Bengal loaded chitosan nanoparticles deposited on Curcumin loaded electrospun polycaprolactone patches for drug delivery applications. Firstly, polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers were fabricated. In the meantime, chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized via the ionic gelation method. Finally, the nanoparticles were sprayed onto the electrospun patch using an airbrush. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the morphology of the resulting nanoplatforms and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized for the chemical composition characterization. The average size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were measured using dynamic light scattering. The ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer was used in order to obtain encapsulation efficiency, the loading capacity of the nanoparticles, and the release profile of the resulting complex structure.

The resulting nanoplatforms displayed dual drug release profiles for Curcumin and Rose Bengal and pH-sensitive drug release was obtained due to the ability to tune the response of the drug-loaded nanoparticles to the changes in the environment. These combined novel nanoplatforms can potentially be used for drug delivery applications.