Polymer-Polysaccharide Blended Nanofibres as a Drug Delivery Device

Objectives: Oral lesions can be associated with various diseases, like aphthous ulcers, trauma, infection, and immunologic and neoplastic diseases, affecting 25% of the population with their recurrence. Current treatment involves oral intake of steroids, which are not target specific to affected tissue. An alternative flexible delivery device for treating lesions is electrospun nanofibres containing drug emulsions, providing a targeted drug release. In this study, we introduce xanthan gum(XG), with mucoadhesive properties, to polymer polycaprolactone(PCL) and optimize the parameters considered for fibre formation.
Methods: PCL (5%) with XG (1&2.5%) solutions were prepared in a formic and acetic acid mixture. Parameters considered for electrospinning were voltage flow(16-24kV), flow rate(0.1-0.5ml/h), nozzle tip size(22-30), and distance between needle and collector(6-16 cm). PCL-XG fibres were compared with that of 5% and 10% PCL electrospun fibres(n=3). Fibre mats(10x10mm) (n=3) were used for analyses. The fibres’ morphology was examined under scanning electron microscope(SEM). Dry weight loss% and swelling% were analyzed after 24h and 72h. In vitro cytotoxicity of the fibres was tested using WST-1 cell proliferation assay against L929 fibroblast cells. Statistical analyses were performed using independent-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni test, global significant level pre-set at 5%.
Results: The fibres produced were beaded-free and had smooth morphology with diameters ranging from 68-260 nm with no significant difference within the groups. There was a significant increase in degradation rate from 87.0±3.6% to 76.8±4.4% and swelling% from 83.9±1.3% to 76.8±4.4% from 24 to 72h of storage. Cell viability >90% was observed among the groups.
Conclusions: Incorporation of 1%XG to PCL provides stabilized fibres comparable to that of PCL-based fibres, having mucoadhesive properties, which can be considered an alternative delivery system for optimal delivery of the drug to site-specific oral lesions.