An exploratory research on antitumor effect of drug-eluting slow-releasing electrospinning membranes

Li Li; Feng Li; Zhifeng Zhao; Rongli Xie; Dan Xu; Min Ding; Jun Zhang; Dongjie Shen; Jian Fei

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20295

An exploratory research on antitumor effect of drug-eluting slow-releasing electrospinning membranes

Heliyon. 2023 Sep 20;9(10):e20295. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20295. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Li Li¹, Feng Li², Zhifeng Zhao³, Rongli Xie⁴, Dan Xu⁵, Min Ding⁵, Jun Zhang⁵, Dongjie Shen⁴, Jian Fei⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
² Department of Emergency, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
³ Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
⁴ Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the long-term inhibition of malignant biliary tumor growth using paclitaxel (PTX)-covered polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun membranes.

Methods: A mixture of PCL, a material used to fabricate polymer stents, and PTX, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, was synthesized by electrospinning. After preparing the drug-eluting membrane, drug release and fiber degradation were assessed in vitro under different pH conditions. The QBC939 cholangiocarcinoma cell line was cultured to establish a xenograft nude mouse model. Finally, the drug-eluting membrane was implanted into the mouse model, and the relative tumor inhibition rate was evaluated.

Results: A new PTX-loaded PCL electrospun fiber membrane was developed. The drug release rate was about 20-40% in the 32-day release cycle, and the release quantity was between 20 and 170 mg. As pH decreased, the release rate increased significantly. The degradation rate of the fiber membranes in vitro was approximately 20-48%, and was positively correlated with the drug loading rate. In animal experiments, the growth of tumors in mice was suppressed using drug-eluting membranes.

Conclusion: The PTX-loaded PCL electrospun fiber membrane enhanced the long-term drug release and exhibited excellent antitumor effects in vivo.

Keywords: Drug eluting membrane; Electrospinning; Malignant obstructive jaundice; PTX.