Air-Spun Silk-Based Micro-/Nanofibers and Thin Films for Drug Delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Micro-/nanofibers are promising drug delivery vehicles due to high porosity and surface area.
• Traditional fiber fabrication methods often require high voltage power sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, safe method for fabricating silk micro-/nanofibers for drug delivery.
• To compare the drug release characteristics of silk fibers versus silk films.
• To investigate the influence of biomaterial geometry on drug-protein interactions and release kinetics.

Main Methods:

• Air-spraying technique for silk micro-/nanofiber fabrication.
• Characterization using FTIR, SEM, DSC, and TGA.
• Drug release studies comparing fibrous mats and films.

Main Results:

• Air-spraying efficiently produced drug-loaded silk fibrous mats without high voltage.
• FTIR confirmed drug interaction with silk fiber protein structure, unlike silk films.
• Silk fibers demonstrated enhanced drug protection from thermal degradation and controlled release.
• Hydrophobic drugs exhibited slower release and better protection than hydrophilic drugs.

Conclusions:

• Silk micro-/nanofibers fabricated by air-spraying are effective drug delivery vehicles.
• Biomaterial geometry significantly impacts drug interaction, protection, and release profiles.
• Fibers offer superior tunability for controlled drug release compared to films.