2 - Current approaches in nanofiber-based drug delivery systems: methods and applications

Abstract

Nano pharmaceutics has been rapidly evolving over the past two decades due to their efficacious, safe, and convenient nanostructure-based drug delivery system (DDS). Several DDSs, owing to their unique properties with small diameter and large surface area, are developed based on biomaterials for enhancing the bioavailability and pharmaceutical efficacy. Natural biomaterials being biocompatible and biodegradable mimic the biological functionality making them a promising candidate for DDSs. Recently, electrospinning being a versatile technique garnered much interest in nanomedicine, drug delivery, tissue engineering system, regenerative medicine, diagnostic techniques, and various other therapeutic applications. Electrospun nanofibers emerged as promising material for DDSs as it possesses several advantages, including extremely high large surface area and a high surface-to-volume ratio, easier surface modification, porous structure, and high biocompatibility, and serve as a biomimetic platform of extracellular matrix for cell attachment as compared to conventional polymeric-based fibers. These electrospun nanofibers exhibit highly favorable material and biological properties that are potentially ideal for DDSs. However, additional opportunities are to be leveraged for electrospinning and the development of effective nanofibers-based DDSs. This chapter focuses on the electrospinning process, its governing parameters, and different types of polymer-based nanofibrous smart DDSs and biological applications of nanofibers-based DDS.