Triaxial Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes for Prolonged Curcumin Release in Dental Applications: Drug Release and...

Triaxial electrospinning was used to fabricate fiber membranes composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA), and gelatin (GT), designed as carriers for curcumin (Cur) delivery. Here, synthetic polyesters acted as core and shell layers, while GT formed the middle layer containing Cur at varying concentrations. This paper aimed to demonstrate the effect of a shell layer by rearranging the core and shell layers on the kinetics of model drug delivery. In vitro release results indicated the shell layer considerably affected the release behavior, reducing the initial burst release by up to 28% in triaxial fibers compared to coaxial fibers in PLGA-shell forms. The release kinetics were interpreted using the Gallagher-Corrigan model. The membranes were also evaluated for their morphological properties. PLGA-shell-layered triaxial fibers exhibited pore sizes up to approximately 11 µm, small enough to prevent cell migration, while providing higher permeability. The surface wettability analysis of the developed fibers showed that all forms exhibited hydrophilic properties. Furthermore, the cytocompatibility of the fiber membranes was confirmed with the relative cell viability of over 80%. Triaxial fibers with different shell layers displayed similar release trends, yet fibers with the PLGA shell layer demonstrated more favorable performance, attributed to its layer configuration. These findings suggest that the strategic positioning of polymers in triaxial electrospun membranes could be pivotal in optimizing drug delivery systems.