Development of braided drug-loaded nanofiber sutures

Nanotechnology. 2010 Aug 6;21(31):315104. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/21/31/315104. Epub 2010 Jul 12.

Abstract

The objectives of this work are twofold. Firstly, while most work on electrospinning is limited to the development of only functional materials, a structural application of electrospun nanofibers is explored. Secondly, a drug-loaded tissue suture is fabricated and its various properties are characterized. Braided drug-loaded nanofiber sutures are obtained by combining an electrospinning process with a braiding technique followed by a coating procedure. Two different electrospinning techniques, i.e. blend and coaxial electrospinning, to incorporate a model drug cefotaxime sodium (CFX-Na) into poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofibers have been applied and compared with each other. Properties of the braided drug-loaded sutures are characterized through a variety of methods including SEM, TEM and tensile testing. The results show that the nanofibers had a preferable micromorphology. The drug was incorporated into the polymer nanofibers homogeneously, with no cross-linking. The nanofibers maintained their fibrous structures. An in vitro release study indicates that the drug-loaded nanofibers fabricated by blend electrospinning and coaxial electrospinning had a different drug release behavior. An inhibition zone experiment shows that both sutures obtained from the nanofibers of the different electrospinning techniques had favorable antibacterial properties. The drug-loaded sutures had preferable histological compatibility performance compared with commercial silk sutures in an in vivo comparative study.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Cefotaxime / administration & dosage*
  • Cefotaxime / pharmacology
  • Electrochemistry / instrumentation
  • Electrochemistry / methods
  • Equipment Design
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Lactic Acid / chemistry*
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Nanofibers / ultrastructure
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Sutures

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Lactic Acid
  • Cefotaxime