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Review
. 2019 Jul 15:14:5271-5285.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S193328. eCollection 2019.

Mucoadhesive electrospun nanofibers for drug delivery systems: applications of polymers and the parameters' roles

Graciela Lizeth Pérez-González  1   2 , Luis Jesús Villarreal-Gómez  1   2 , Aracely Serrano-Medina  3 , Erick José Torres-Martínez  1   2 , José Manuel Cornejo-Bravo  2
Affiliations
Review

Mucoadhesive electrospun nanofibers for drug delivery systems: applications of polymers and the parameters' roles

Graciela Lizeth Pérez-González et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

Electrospun nanofibers have been widely studied for many medical applications. They can be designed with specific features, including mucoadhesive properties. This review summarizes the polymeric scaffolds obtained by the electrospinning process that has been applied for drug release in different mucosal sites such as oral, ocular, gastroenteric, vaginal, and nasal. We analyzed the electrospinning parameters that have to be optimized to create reproducible and efficient mucoadhesive nanofibers, among them are: electrical field, polymer concentration, viscosity, flow rate, needle-collector distance, solution conductivity, solvent, environmental parameters, and electrospinning setup. We also revised the mucoadhesive theories as well as the mucoadhesive properties of the polymers used. This review shows that the most studied mucosal site is the oral cavity, because it is accessible and easy to evaluate, while the rest are uncomfortable for the patient and difficult to assess in vivo. We found problems that need to be solved for mucoadhesive electrospun nanofibers, such as improving adhesion strength and mucosal permanence time, and the design of unidirectional release, multilayer systems for the treatment of several pathologies, to ensure the drug concentration in the tissue or target organ.

Keywords: drug delivery systems; electrospinning; mucoadhesives; polymers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The relation between voltage and distance with fiber production.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Electrospun beaded fibers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Electrospun porous fibers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Diagram of the horizontal electrospinning device.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Diagram of the vertical electrospinning device.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic representation of transcellular and paracellular pathways.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Possible designs for mucosal drug delivery systems. (A) Bidirectional delivery system, (B) unidirectional delivery system, (C) mucoadhesive delivery system.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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