The present study describes the fabrication of molecularly imprinted (MI) magnetic beaded fibers using electrospinning. Rosmarinic acid was selected as exemplary yet relevant template during molecular imprinting. A "design of experiments" methodology was used for optimizing the electrospinning process. Four factors, i.e., the concentration of the biodegradable polymer (polycaprolactone), the applied voltage, the flow rate, and the collector distance were varied in a central composite design. The production process was then optimized according to the suitability of the beaded fibers during microrobot fabrication, actuation, and drug release. The optimum average fiber diameter of MI beaded fibers was determined at 857 ± 390 nm with an average number of beads at 0.011 ± 0.002 per µm2. In vitro release profiles of the optimized MI beaded fibers revealed a lower burst rate and a more sustained release when compared to control fibers. Magnetic control of the MI beaded fibers was successfully tested by following selected waypoints along a star-shaped predefined trajectory. This study innovatively combines molecular imprinting technology with magnetic microrobots enabling targeted drug delivery systems that offer precise motion control via the magnetic response of microrobots along with selective uptake of a drug into the microrobot using MI beaded fibers in future.
Keywords: design of experiments; drug release; electrospinning; microrobots; molecularly imprinted fibers; polycaprolactone.