Electrospun nanofibers: Focus on local therapeutic delivery targeting infectious disease

Whether it be due to genetic variances, lack of patient adherence, or sub-optimal drug metabolism, the risk of antibiotic resistance from medications administered systemically continues to pose significant challenges to fighting infectious diseases. Ideally, infections would be treated locally for maximal efficacy while minimizing off-target effects. The electrospinning of biomaterials has recently facilitated the creation of electrospun nanofibers as an alternative delivery vehicle for local treatment. This review describes electrospun nanofiber applications to locally target various infectious diseases. Electrospinning is first reviewed as a method to fabricate nanofiber platforms with advantageous properties for developing drug delivery systems. The emergence of artificial intelligence to facilitate the development of nanofiber formulations and the evaluation of operating parameters to customize therapeutic behavior are described. A range of biomaterials utilized for electrospinning nanofibers is summarized in the context of properties suitable for drug delivery, particularly to treat infectious diseases. The current body of literature for electrospun nanofiber applications to tackle infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections, oral infections, and Staphylococcus Aureus infections is described. We anticipate that the advantages of electrospun nanofibers to facilitate targeted application while minimizing antibiotic resistance will substantially expand their clinical use in coming years.