Dual temperature and pH responsive nanofiber formulations prepared by electrospinning

pH-sensitive bilayer electrospun nanofibers based on ethyl cellulose and Eudragit S-100 as a dual delivery system for treatment of the burn wounds; preparation, characterizations, and in-vitro/in-vivo assessment

A pH-sensitive bilayer electrospun nanofibrous mat containing both antibiotic (gentamicin sulfate, GEN) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (diclofenac sodium, DIC) drugs was fabricated for burn wound dressing by electrospinning technique, in which ethyl cellulose (EC) and ethyl cellulose/Eudragit S-100 (EC/ES-100) formed the top and bottom layers, respectively. The fabricated pH-sensitive bilayer electrospun nanofibrous mats were characterized from aspects of both structure and efficiency. Physicochemical properties were investigated via SEM, FTIR, and TGA. The swelling ratio and in vitro drug release of the fabricated nanofibrous mats were studied in different pHs. MTT was applied to assess the safety of the fiber mats. Finally, the in vivo efficiency of the designed pH-sensitive bilayer electrospun nanofibrous mats was examined on the male Wistar rats. Based on the histological analysis and wound healing test (in vivo animal experiments), the (ES100/EC-DIC/GEN)-(EC) pH-sensitive bilayer nanofibrous mat displayed faster wound healing than other bilayer nanofibrous mat. As a result, (ES100/EC-DIC/GEN)-(EC) bilayer nanofibrous mat with pH-responsion could accelerate the burn wound healing process via decreasing the adverse effects of GEN and DIC as topical antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents, receptively.

Multi-material electrospinning: from methods to biomedical applications

Electrospinning as a versatile, simple, and cost-effective method to engineer a variety of micro or nanofibrous materials, has contributed to significant developments in the biomedical field. However, the traditional electrospinning of single material only can produce homogeneous fibrous assemblies with limited functional properties, which oftentimes fails to meet the ever-increasing requirements of biomedical applications. Thus, multi-material electrospinning referring to engineering two or more kinds of materials, has been recently developed to enable the fabrication of diversified complex fibrous structures with advanced performance for greatly promoting biomedical development. This review firstly gives an overview of multi-material electrospinning modalities, with a highlight on their features and accessibility for constructing different complex fibrous structures. A perspective of how multi-material electrospinning opens up new opportunities for specific biomedical applications, i.e., tissue engineering and drug delivery, is also offered.

Preparation of a thermosensitive nanofibre membrane for blackberry preservation

Blackberries provide multiple health benefits. However, they deteriorate easily during harvesting, storage, and transportation (temperature-changing). Therefore, to extend their shelf-life under variable temperature conditions, a temperature-sensitive nanofibre-based material with good preservation attributes was developed, composed of polylactic acid (PLA) electrospun fibres, loaded with lemon essential oil (LEO) and covered with poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). Compared with PLA and PLA/LEO nanofibres, PLA/LEO/PNIPAAm exhibited good mechanical properties, oxidation resistance, antibacterial ability, and controlled release of LEO. The PNIPAAm layer prevented rapid LEO release below the low critical solution temperature (32 °C). When the temperature exceeded 32 °C, the PNIPAAm layer underwent a chain-to-globule transition and accelerated LEO release (slower than PLA/LEO). The temperature-controlled release of LEO via PLA/LEO/PNIPAAm membrane prolongs its action time. Therefore, PLA/LEO/PNIPAAm effectively maintained the appearance and nutritive quality of blackberries during variable storage temperatures. Our research demonstrated that active fibre membranes have great potential applications in preserving fresh products.

Nanofibers in Ocular Drug Targeting and Tissue Engineering: Their Importance, Advantages, Advances, and Future Perspectives

Nanofibers are frequently encountered in daily life as a modern material with a wide range of applications. The important advantages of production techniques, such as being easy, cost effective, and industrially applicable are important factors in the preference for nanofibers. Nanofibers, which have a broad scope of use in the field of health, are preferred both in drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. Due to the biocompatible materials used in their construction, they are also frequently preferred in ocular applications. The fact that they have a long drug release time as a drug delivery system and have been used in corneal tissue studies, which have been successfully developed in tissue engineering, stand out as important advantages of nanofibers. This review examines nanofibers, their production techniques and general information, nanofiber-based ocular drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering concepts in detail.

Injectable Thermosensitive Nanocomposites Based on Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) and Silica Particles for Localized Release of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Drugs

The systemic delivery of drugs employed by conventional methods has shown to be less effective than a localized delivery system. Many drugs have the effectiveness reduced by fast clearance, increasing the amount required for an efficient treatment. One way to overcome this drawback is through the use of thermoresponsive polymers that undergo a sol-gel transition at physiological temperature, allowing their injection directly in the desired site. In this work, thermosensitive nanocomposites based on poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) and silica particles with 80 and 330 nm were synthesized to be employed as delivery systems for hydrophobic (naringin) and hydrophilic (doxorubicin hydrochloride) drugs. The insertion of SiO₂ increased the rheological properties of the nanocomposite at 37 °C, which helps to prevent its diffusion away from the site of injection. The synthesized materials were also able to control the drug release for a period of 7 days under physiological conditions. Due to its higher hydrophobicity and better interaction with the PNVCL matrix, naringin presented a more controlled release. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model indicated different release mechanisms for each drug. At last, a preliminary in vitro study of DOX-loaded nanocomposites cultured with L929 and MB49 cells showed negligible toxic effects on healthy cells and better efficient inhibition of carcinoma cells.

Tailoring micro/nano-fibers for biomedical applications

Nano/micro fibers have evoked much attention of scientists and have been researched as cutting edge and hotspot in the area of fiber science in recent years due to the rapid development of various advanced manufacturing technologies, and the appearance of fascinating and special functions and properties, such as the enhanced mechanical strength, high surface area to volume ratio and special functionalities shown in the surface, triggered by the nano or micro-scale dimensions. In addition, these outstanding and special characteristics of the nano/micro fibers impart fiber-based materials with wide applications, such as environmental engineering, electronic and biomedical fields. This review mainly focuses on the recent development in the various nano/micro fibers fabrication strategies and corresponding applications in the biomedical fields, including tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery, wound healing, and biosensors. Moreover, the challenges for the fabrications and applications and future perspectives are presented.

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The widely used nano/micro fibers fabrication strategies are comprehensively reviewed.

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Focus on the application of nano/micro fibers in the biomedical fields.

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Summarize the challenges for the nano/micro fibers fabrication strategies and applications and future perspective.

Nanofiber Carriers of Therapeutic Load: Current Trends

The fast advancement in nanotechnology has prompted the improvement of numerous methods for the creation of various nanoscale composites of which nanofibers have gotten extensive consideration. Nanofibers are polymeric/composite fibers which have a nanoscale diameter. They vary in porous structure and have an extensive area. Material choice is of crucial importance for the assembly of nanofibers and their function as efficient drug and biomedicine carriers. A broad scope of active pharmaceutical ingredients can be incorporated within the nanofibers or bound to their surface. The ability to deliver small molecular drugs such as antibiotics or anticancer medications, proteins, peptides, cells, DNA and RNAs has led to the biomedical application in disease therapy and tissue engineering. Although nanofibers have shown incredible potential for drug and biomedicine applications, there are still difficulties which should be resolved before they can be utilized in clinical practice. This review intends to give an outline of the recent advances in nanofibers, contemplating the preparation methods, the therapeutic loading and release and the various therapeutic applications.

Dendrimers as nanoscale vectors: Unlocking the bars of cancer therapy

Chemotherapy is the first choice in the treatment of cancer and is always preferred to other approaches such as radiation and surgery, but it has never met the need of patients for a safe and effective drug. Therefore, new advances in cancer treatment are now needed to reduce the side effects and burdens associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients. Targeted treatment using nanotechnology are now being actively explored as they could effectively deliver therapeutic agents to tumor cells without affecting normal cells. Dendrimers are promising nanocarriers with distinct physiochemical properties that have received considerable attention in cancer therapy studies, which is partly due to the numerous functional groups on their surface. In this review, we discuss the progress of different types of dendrimers as delivery systems in cancer therapy, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and functionalities of the polymeric molecules. The paper also reviews the various role of dendrimers in their entry into cells via endocytosis, as well as the molecular and inflammatory pathways in cancer. In addition, various dendrimers-based drug delivery (e.g., pH-responsive, enzyme-responsive, redox-responsive, thermo-responsive, etc.) and lipid-, amino acid-, polymer- and nanoparticle-based modifications for gene delivery, as well as co-delivery of drugs and genes in cancer therapy with dendrimers, are presented. Finally, biosafety concerns and issues hindering the transition of dendrimers from research to the clinic are discussed to shed light on their clinical applications.

Physicomechanical properties and in vitro release behaviors of electrospun ibuprofen-loaded blend PEO/EC fibers

Electrospinning is a fiber manufacturing technique with the possibility of encapsulating high levels of small molecule drugs while providing controlled release rates. In this study, electrospun blend fibers were produced from polyethylene oxide (PEO) and ethyl cellulose (EC) at various compositions to encapsulate a poorly water-soluble drug of ibuprofen (IBP) at 30% loading. Microscopic evaluation showed smooth and defect-free fiber morphologies for blank and IBP-loaded PEO/EC fibers. The average fiber diameters and fiber yields suggested a potential optimization on the blend fiber composition for the electrospun drug-eluting PEO/EC fibers, where the highest average fiber diameter and fiber yield occurred at 50PEO/50EC fiber composition. Surface wettability studies demonstrated the effects on surface hydrophobicity from blend fibers of water-soluble PEO and hydrophobic EC as well as the incorporation of IBP. In addition, blend fibers containing more PEO promoted the water absorption rates through dissolution of the polymer matrix. Furthermore, results from mechanical testing of the blend fibers showed the highest fiber elastic modulus and tensile strength at fiber compositions in between 75PEO/25EC and 50PEO/50EC, corresponding to the average fiber diameter measurements. The in vitro IBP release rates demonstrated a dependence on the EC compositions supported by the surface wettability and water absorption rate studies. In general, our work demonstrated the ability to electrospin blank and IBP-loaded PEO/EC fibers with the scientific understandings of EC compositions on modulations of fiber physicomechanical properties and in vitro drug release rates. The findings from the work indicated the potential engineering and pharmaceutical applications of electrospun drug-eluting fibers for topical drug delivery.

A bifunctional electrospun nanocomposite wound dressing containing surfactin and curcumin: In vitro and in vivo studies

A double-nozzle electrospinning technique was adopted in the present study to yield a novel bifunctional wound dressing composed of curcumin (Cur) and surfactin (Sur)-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-gelatin (Gel). To comprehensively unveil the effect of both composition and drug molecules on the applicability, different dressings composed of PCL, Gel, and combination of the polymers with the drug molecules were fabricated. Besides the physicochemical properties, the in vitro and in vivo biological properties of prepared wound dressings were assessed. The results showed that increasing in the Cur from 0 to 3% (w/w) and Sur from 0 to 0.2 mg/mL caused a decrease in the elastic modulus on the one hand. On the other hand, the tensile strength and elongation at break experienced an increase in their values. The wettability, swelling capacity, and degradation rate of PCL improved significantly when both Gel and the drug molecules had been added. The dressings encompassing Sur (0.2 mg/mL) exhibited an excellent antibacterial activity after 24 h (>99%). Moreover, a sustained release of Cur up to 14 days was obtained. The in vitro cell compatibility tests implied a desirable result for all dressings without taking the composition into consideration. To complement the in vitro studies, the PCL/0.2Sur-Gel/3%Cur dressing was further assessed in vivo and the results revealed a significant improvement in the healing rate compared to control groups proofing its great potential for accelerated wound healing applications.

An N-Halamine/Graphene Oxide-Functionalized Electrospun Polymer Membrane That Inactivates Bacteria on Contact and by Releasing Active Chlorine

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" in recent decades has led to widespread illness and death and is a major ongoing public health issue. Since traditional antimicrobials and antibiotics are in many cases showing limited or no effectiveness in fighting some emerging pathogens, there is an urgent need to develop and explore novel antibacterial agents that are both powerful and reliable. Combining two or more antibiotics or antimicrobials has become a hot topic in antibacterial research. In this contribution, we report on using a simple electrospinning technique to create an N-halamine/graphene oxide-modified polymer membrane with excellent antibacterial activity. With the assistance of advanced techniques, the as-obtained membrane was characterized in terms of its chemical composition, morphology, size, and the presence of active chlorine. Its antibacterial properties were tested with Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the model bacteria, using the colony-counting method. Interestingly, the final N-halamine/graphene oxide-based antibacterial fibrous membrane inactivated E. coli both on contact and by releasing active chlorine. We believe that the synergistic antimicrobial action of our as-fabricated fibrous membrane should have great potential for utilization in water disinfection, air purification, medical and healthcare products, textile products, and other antibacterial-associated fields.

pH-Responsive Chitosan/Alginate Polyelectrolyte Complexes on Electrospun PLGA Nanofibers for Controlled Drug Release

The surface functionalization of electrospun nanofibers allows for the introduction of additional functionalities while at the same time retaining the membrane properties of high porosity and surface-to-volume ratio. In this work, we sequentially deposited layers of chitosan and alginate to form a polyelectrolyte complex via layer-by-layer assembly on PLGA nanofibers to introduce pH-responsiveness for the controlled release of ibuprofen. The deposition of the polysaccharides on the surface of the fibers was revealed using spectroscopy techniques and ζ-potential measurements. The presence of polycationic chitosan resulted in a positive surface charge (16.2 ± 4.2 mV, pH 3.0) directly regulating the interactions between a model drug (ibuprofen) loaded within the polyelectrolyte complex and the layer-by-layer coating. The release of ibuprofen was slowed down in acidic pH (1.0) compared to neutral pH as a result of the interactions between the drug and the coating. The provided mesh acts as a promising candidate for the design of drug delivery systems required to bypass the acidic environment of the digestive tract.

pHEMA: An Overview for Biomedical Applications

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) as a biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility and cytocompatibility elicits a minimal immunological response from host tissue making it desirable for different biomedical applications. This article seeks to provide an in-depth overview of the properties and biomedical applications of pHEMA for bone tissue regeneration, wound healing, cancer therapy (stimuli and non-stimuli responsive systems), and ophthalmic applications (contact lenses and ocular drug delivery). As this polymer has been widely applied in ophthalmic applications, a specific consideration has been devoted to this field. Pure pHEMA does not possess antimicrobial properties and the site where the biomedical device is employed may be susceptible to microbial infections. Therefore, antimicrobial strategies such as the use of silver nanoparticles, antibiotics, and antimicrobial agents can be utilized to protect against infections. Therefore, the antimicrobial strategies besides the drug delivery applications of pHEMA were covered. With continuous research and advancement in science and technology, the outlook of pHEMA is promising as it will most certainly be utilized in more biomedical applications in the near future. The aim of this review was to bring together state-of-the-art research on pHEMA and their applications.

Electrospun Nanofibers for Cancer Therapy

Lately, a remarkable progress has been recorded in the field of electrospinning for the preparation of numerous types of nanofiber scaffolds. These scaffolds present some remarkable features including high loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency, superficial area and porosity, potential for modification, structure for the co-delivery of various therapies, and cost-effectiveness. Their present and future applications for cancer diagnosis and treatment are promising and pioneering. In this chapter we provide a comprehensive overview of electrospun nanofibers (ESNFs) applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment, covering diverse types of drug-loaded electrospun nanofibers.

Electrospinning for healthcare: recent advancements

This perspective explores recent developments and innovations in the electrospinning technique and their potential applications in biomedicine.

Delivery of a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant from biocompatible, polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds

Cardiovascular disease has been associated with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, we have shown that a critical balance between cytosolic ROS and mitochondrial ROS is crucial in cardiovascular health and that modulation of mitochondrial ROS helps prevent detrimental effects of cytosolic ROS on endothelial cells (EC) in transgenic animals. Here, we report the development of a controlled delivery system for a mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant, JP4‐039, from an electrospun scaffold made of FDA‐approved biocompatible polymeric nanofibers. We demonstrate that the active antioxidant moiety was preserved in released JP4‐039 for over 72 h using electron paramagnetic resonance. We also show that both the initial burst release of the drug within the first 20 min and the ensuing slow and sustained release that occurred over the next 24 h improved tube formation in human coronary artery ECs (HCAEC) in vitro. Taken together, these findings suggest that electrospinning methods can be used to upload mitochondrial antioxidant (JP4‐039) onto a biocompatible nanofibrous PLGA scaffold, and the uploaded drug (JP4‐039) retains nitroxide antioxidant properties upon release from the scaffold, which in turn can reduce mitochondrial ROS and improve EC function in vitro.

Electrospun nanofibers: A nanotechnological approach for drug delivery and dissolution optimization in poorly water-soluble drugs

Electrospinning is a novel and sophisticated technique for the production of nanofibers with high surface area, extreme porous structure, small pore size, and surface morphologies that make them suitable for biomedical and bioengineering applications, which can provide solutions to current drug delivery issues of poorly water-soluble drugs. Electrospun nanofibers can be obtained through different methods asides from the conventional one, such as coaxial, multi-jet, side by side, emulsion, and melt electrospinning. In general, the application of an electric potential to a polymer solution causes a charged liquid jet that moves downfield to an oppositely charged collector, where the nanofibers are deposited. Plenty of polymers that differ in their origin, degradation character and water affinity are used during the process. Physicochemical properties of the drug, polymer(s), and solvent systems need to be addressed to guarantee successful manufacturing. Therefore, this review summarizes the recent progress in electrospun nanofibers for their use as a nanotechnological tool for dissolution optimization and drug delivery systems for poorly water-soluble drugs.

Aqueous-based electrospun P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)/RSF medicated fibrous mats for dual temperature- and pH-responsive drug controlled release

This paper presents a green method for fabricating dual temperature- and pH-responsive electrospun fibrous mats from an aqueous-based blend poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)) and regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) by employing electrospinning technique. P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) was synthesized by free radical solution polymerization and its low critical solution temperature (LCST) was in the physiological range (38.8 °C). The P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)/RSF fibers were prepared by electrospinning technology in the presence of the crosslinking agents (EDC·HCl and NHS) with water as solvent. After in situ crosslinking and water-annealing process, the water-stable composite fibrous mats were obtained. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyze the crosslinking process. Temperature and pH dual stimuli-responsive swelling-shrinking behavior of the fibrous mats were observed when the temperature was below and above the LCST of the copolymer at different pHs. In addition, rhodamine B-loaded the fibrous mats also showed dual temperature and pH controlled release behavior, demonstrating the potential use of the fibrous mats for "smart" controlled drug delivery applications.

Premium ethylcellulose polymer based architectures at work in drug delivery

Premium ethylcellulose polymers are hydrophobic cellulose ether based biomaterials widely employed as biocompatible templates for the design of novel drug delivery systems. They are classified as United States Food and Drug Administration Generally-Recognized-As-Safe chemical substances and have been extensively utilized within the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries for over half a century. They have so far demonstrated the potential to modulate and improve the physiological performance of bioactives leading to the desired enhanced prophylactic and therapeutic outcomes. This review therefore presents a scholarly survey of inter-disciplinary developments focused on the functionalities of ethylcellulose polymers as biomaterials useful for the design of smart delivery architectures for relevant pharmacotherapeutic biomedical applications. Emphasis was placed on evaluating scientific resources related to recent advancements and future directions associated with its applications as delivery systems for drugs and biologics within the past decade thus complementing other specialized reviews showcasing the theme.

Ethylcellulose-A Pharmaceutical Excipient with Multidirectional Application in Drug Dosage Forms Development

Polymers constitute the most important group of excipients utilized in modern pharmaceutical technology, playing an essential role in the development of drug dosage forms. Synthetic, semisynthetic, and natural polymeric materials offer opportunities to overcome different formulative challenges and to design novel dosage forms for controlled release or for site-specific drug delivery. They are extensively used to design therapeutic systems, modify drug release, or mask unpleasant drug taste. Cellulose derivatives are characterized by different physicochemical properties, such as swellability, viscosity, biodegradability, pH dependency, or mucoadhesion, which determine their use in industry. One cellulose derivative with widespread application is ethylcellulose. Ethylcellulose is used in pharmaceutical technology as a coating agent, flavoring fixative, binder, filler, film-former, drug carrier, or stabilizer. The aim of this article is to provide a broad overview of ethylcellulose utilization for pharmaceutical purposes, with particular emphasis on its multidirectional role in the development of oral and topical drug dosage forms.

Thermo-responsive polymers: Applications of smart materials in drug delivery and tissue engineering

Synthetic polymers are attracting great attention in the last decades for their use in the biomedical field as nanovectors for controlled drug delivery, hydrogels and scaffolds enabling cell growth. Among them, polymers able to respond to environmental stimuli have been recently under growing consideration to impart a "smart" behavior to the final product, which is highly desirable to provide it with a specific dynamic and an advanced function. In particular, thermo-responsive polymers, materials able to undergo a discontinuous phase transition or morphological change in response to a temperature variation, are among the most studied. The development of the so-called controlled radical polymerization techniques has paved the way to a high degree of engineering for the polymer architecture and properties, which in turn brought to a plethora of sophisticated behaviors for these polymers by simply switching the external temperature. These can be exploited in many different fields, from separation to advanced optics and biosensors. The aim of this review is to critically discuss the latest advances in the development of thermo-responsive materials for biomedical applications, including a highly controlled drug delivery, mediation of cell growth and bioseparation. The focus is on the structural and design aspects that are required to exploit such materials for cutting-edge applications in the biomedical field.

Stimuli-Responsive Drug Release from Smart Polymers

Over the past 10 years, stimuli-responsive polymeric biomaterials have emerged as effective systems for the delivery of therapeutics. Persistent with ongoing efforts to minimize adverse effects, stimuli-responsive biomaterials are designed to release in response to either chemical, physical, or biological triggers. The stimuli-responsiveness of smart biomaterials may improve spatiotemporal specificity of release. The material design may be used to tailor smart polymers to release a drug when particular stimuli are present. Smart biomaterials may use internal or external stimuli as triggering mechanisms. Internal stimuli-responsive smart biomaterials include those that respond to specific enzymes or changes in microenvironment pH; external stimuli can consist of electromagnetic, light, or acoustic energy; with some smart biomaterials responding to multiple stimuli. This review looks at current and evolving stimuli-responsive polymeric biomaterials in their proposed applications.

Electrospun Nanofibers: Recent Applications in Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy

Polymeric nanofibers (NFs) have been extensively reported as a biocompatible scaffold to be specifically applied in several researching fields, including biomedical applications. The principal researching lines cover the encapsulation of antitumor drugs for controlled drug delivery applications, scaffolds structures for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as magnetic or plasmonic hyperthermia to be applied in the reduction of cancer tumors. This makes NFs useful as therapeutic implantable patches or mats to be implemented in numerous biomedical researching fields. In this context, several biocompatible polymers with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability including poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), poly butylcyanoacrylate (PBCA), poly ethylenglycol (PEG), poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly lactic acid (PLA) have been widely used for the synthesis of NFs using the electrospun technique. Indeed, other types of polymers with stimuli-responsive capabilities has have recently reported for the fabrication of polymeric NFs scaffolds with relevant biomedical applications. Importantly, colloidal nanoparticles used as nanocarriers and non-biodegradable structures have been also incorporated by electrospinning into polymeric NFs for drug delivery applications and cancer treatments. In this review, we focus on the incorporation of drugs into polymeric NFs for drug delivery and cancer treatment applications. However, the principal novelty compared with previously reported publications is that we also focus on recent investigations concerning new strategies that increase drug delivery and cancer treatments efficiencies, such as the incorporation of colloidal nanoparticles into polymeric NFs, the possibility to fabricate NFs with the capability to respond to external environments, and finally, the synthesis of hybrid polymeric NFs containing carbon nanotubes, magnetic and gold nanoparticles, with magnetic and plasmonic hyperthermia applicability.

Folate-Functionalized Mesoporous Hollow SnO2 Nanofibers as a Targeting Drug Carrier to Improve the Antitumor Effect of Paclitaxel for Liver Cancer Therapy

In this study, we prepared PTX-loaded mesoporous hollow SnO₂ nanofibers conjugated with folic acid (SFNFP) for liver cancer therapy. According to SEM and TEM characterization, SFNF showed a mesoporous hollow structure. The average outer diameter was 200 nm, and the wall thickness was 50 nm. The DSC and XRD study showed that PTX in the channels of nanofibers was present in an amorphous state. The in vitro release experiments demonstrated that SFNF could efficiently improve the dissolution rate of PTX. Both in vitro cell experiments and in vivo antitumor experiments showed that SFNFP could efficiently inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells. Therefore, SFNF is a promising targeting antitumor drug delivery carrier.