Electrospun Composites of Polycaprolactone and Porous Silicon Nanoparticles for the Tunable Delivery of Small Therapeutic Molecules.

Steven J P Mcinnes,Ivan P Parkin,Thomas J Macdonald,Nicolas H Voelcker,Thomas Nann

doi:10.3390/nano8040205

Abstract

This report describes the use of an electrospun composite of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers and porous silicon (pSi) nanoparticles (NPs) as an effective system for the tunable delivery of camptothecin (CPT), a small therapeutic molecule. Both materials are biodegradable, abundant, low-cost, and most importantly, have no known cytotoxic effects. The composites were treated with and without sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to investigate the wettability of the porous network for drug release and cell viability measurements. CPT release and subsequent cell viability was also investigated. We observed that the cell death rate was not only affected by the addition of our CPT carrier, pSi, but also by increasing the rate of dissolution via treatment with NaOH. This is the first example of loading pSi NPs as a therapeutics nanocarrier into electronspun PCL fibers and this system opens up new possibilities for the delivery of molecular therapeutics.

Highlights

Synthetic or natural biocompatible polymers are commonly considered as candidates to develop scaffolds for tissue engineering [1]
We have reported on composite porous silicon (pSi) and PCL membranes implanted into the subconjunctival space of rats [20]
The characterization of pSi nanoparticles (pSi NPs) was performed in our earlier work [38]

Summary

Introduction

Synthetic or natural biocompatible polymers are commonly considered as candidates to develop scaffolds for tissue engineering [1]. It is important that the complex function of the scaffold mimics the extracellular matrix (ECM), the vital model in providing structural and biochemical support to human cells. Using compatible biomaterials such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), chitosan (CS), or gelatin (GEL) is a common approach to engineer a variety of tissue types. PCL NFs have been shown to form suitable interwoven porous scaffolds [4,5,6,7], which assist in the connection of tissues and vessels These NFs have been shown to be appropriate structures to mimic the ECM, due to their ability to promote the adhesion and proliferation of cells [8,9]. PCL has previously been shown to support a wide range of range of cell types, and its biodegradable features render it an excellent candidate for carrying therapeutic molecules [5]

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Discussion

Conclusion