International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jul 2019)

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

  • Pérez-González GL,
  • Villarreal-Gómez LJ,
  • Serrano-Medina A,
  • Torres-Martínez EJ,
  • Cornejo-Bravo JM

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 5271 – 5285

Abstract

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Graciela Lizeth Pérez-González1,2, Luis Jesús Villarreal-Gómez1,2, Aracely Serrano-Medina,3 Erick José Torres-Martínez1,2, José Manuel Cornejo-Bravo21Escuela de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Unidad Valle de las Palmas, Tijuana, Baja California, México; 2Facultad de Ciencias Químicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Calzada Universidad 14418 Parque Industrial Internacional, Tijuana, Baja California 22390, México; 3Facultad de Medicina y Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Unidad Otay, Tijuana, Baja California, MéxicoAbstract: 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: mucoadhesives, electrospinning, drug delivery systems, polymers

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