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Updated: May 10, 2025
Combination of Microstereolithography and Electrospinning to Produce Membranes Equipped with Niches for Corneal Regeneration
Published on: September 12, 2014
Electrospun PCL membranes for localized drug delivery and bone regeneration
Betul Gedik1, Mehmet Ali Erdem2
1Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Cavit Orhan Tutengil Street No: 4 Vezneciler Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey. betulgedik@istanbul.edu.tr.
Background:
Bone loss caused by cysts, tumors, trauma, and other factors is a significant challenge in medicine and dentistry. Effective bone regeneration is essential for accelerated healing and improved bone volume. While systemic drug supplementation helps, local delivery through gbr/gtr membranes is preferred for targeted treatment with minimal systemic effects. This study aims to develop drug-loaded gbr membranes using electrospinning to enhance localized drug delivery and tissue regeneration.
Methods:
Polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes were produced via electrospinning with various concentrations and solvent ratios. Therapeutic agents-pentoxifylline, carrageenan, and sodium fluoride-were incorporated into the membranes. Morphological analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties were assessed through tensile testing, structural characterization was done via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermal properties were evaluated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Drug release behavior was studied using UV-Vis spectrophotometry.
Results:
SEM revealed optimal fiber morphology in membranes with 10% PCL and 1% pentoxifylline, 0.5% NaF, and 1% carrageenan. Tensile strength was highest in 10% PCL membranes (2.5 MPa), outperforming 12% PCL (1.8 MPa). FTIR and TGA confirmed successful drug incorporation and thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures ranging from 395 °C to 510.9 °C. UV-Vis showed effective drug release, with 2% pentoxifylline achieving the highest release at 2 h (34%) and 4 h (62%), demonstrating enhanced performance for localized drug delivery.
Conclusions:
PCL-based electrospun membranes with therapeutic agents were successfully developed, exhibiting promising characteristics for localized drug delivery and tissue regeneration. These membranes showed comparable mechanical properties to commercial GBR/GTR membranes. Future research should focus on optimizing formulations and evaluating clinical efficacy.
