Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 23.2
Conglutinated.networks.of.electrospun.polycaprolactone.(PCL).
as.a.broad.diameter.distribution.
43
.However,.semiconducting.and.insulating.liquids.such.
as.parafinic.oil.produced.relatively.stable.ibers..By.adding.a.small.amount.of.salt.or.ion,.
the.electric.force.exerted.on.the.jet.also.increased,.and.attributed.to.a.decrease.in.the.mean.
iber.diameter..Generally,.the.radius.of.the.iber.jet.is.inversely.related.to.the.cube.root.of.
the.solution.conductivity.
44
23.3 ElectrospinninginDrugDeliveryApplications
Since. electrospinning. has. great. lexibility. in. material. selection,. several. biocompatible.
polymeric.materials,.either.biodegradable.or.nonbiodegradable,.have.been.electrospun.to.
produce. iber. matrices. for. drug. or. bioactive. agent. delivery.. Release. of. the. therapeutic.
molecules.can.be.controlled,.whether.it.occurs.via.diffusion.alone.or.both.diffusion.and.
material.degradation..A.number.of.therapeutic.agents,.including.biological.active.agents.
(i.e.,.anticancer.drugs,.anti-inlammatory.drugs,.antibiotics,.and.proteins),.herbal.extracts,.
and. genes. (i.e.,. DNA),. can. be. easily. loaded. and. delivered. to. the. targets.. Heat-sensitive.
drugs.are.also.successfully.delivered.with.retained.properties..This.is.one.of.the.advan-
tages.of.the.electrospinning.process.over.the.conventional.melt.process..There.are.various.
techniques.used.for.loading.and.delivering.a.variety.of.therapeutic.agents.from.the.elec-
tropun.iber.mat,.as.reported.in.several.studies.
23.3.1 Biological Active Agents
The. application. of. electrospun. matrices. as. carriers. for. the. controlled. release. of. various.
types. of. biological. active. molecules,. including. anticancer. drugs,
45-51
. anti-inlammatory.
drugs,
52-59
.antibiotics,
30,60-63
.vitamins,
64,65
.and.protein,
66-68,70,72-79
.has.been.examined.
23.3.1.1 Anticancer Drugs
A. drug-loaded. electrospun. iber. mat. is. a. promising. controlled-release. formulation. in.
biomedical. applications,. especially. in. postoperative. local. chemotherapy.. This. method.
