Abstract
Stimuli-responsive electrospun fibers loaded with therapeutic agents for smart delivery are attractive biomedical applications. However, development of such fibers requires the use of complex chemical processes that can induce toxicity, reduce fiber quality, or prohibit fiber electrospinnablity. To address these challenges, core-shell structured fibers capable of temperature-controlled delivery of nanoparticles were developed. The fiber core contained an aqueous suspension of poly(n-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgel particles and silver nanoparticles (model antibacterial drug). A novel use of ball-milling was applied to produce microgel particles with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 511 ± 100 nm. The ball-milling technique was developed to avoid the current complex chemical processes for syntheses of microgels, and to address the need for high-yield techniques in industrial manufacturing. The results show that the thermoresponsive properties of the PNIPAM hydrogel particles were preserved during the ball-milling process. The fiber shell formed a strong structure matrix, regulated the nanoparticles release pathway (through open pores formed via selective dissolution of porogen), and served as a barrier to prevent direct contact of microgel particles with tissues. This core-shell fiber design allows for the future application of various therapeutic agents, including fragile and bioactive agents, and microgel particles with special properties.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 49786 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Polymer Science |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 44 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 20 2020 |
Funding
We thank Dr. Somenath Mitra, Dr. Christopher Palmer, Ms. Lou Herritt for technical support. We also thank Ms. Gretchen McCaffrey for her editorial guidance. The authors acknowledge the resources and support provided by the BioSpectroscopy Core Research Laboratory at the University of Montana, which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health CoBRE award P20 GM103546 to the Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. Additional funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS) CoBRE award P30 GM103338. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
| Funder number |
|---|
| P20 GM103546, P30 GM103338 |
Keywords
- biomaterials
- drug delivery systems
- fibers
- gels
- synthesis and processing techniques