Illangakoon U.E., Chatterton N.P., Williams G.R., Nazir T.
London Metropolitan University, UK
Keywords: 5-Fluorouracil, bovine serum albumin, electrospinning, polyvinylpyrrolidone
5-FU loaded bovine serum albumin (BSA)/ polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers prepared using an electrospinning process. The nanofibers were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) energy – dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Nuclear magnetic resonance was used to confirm that the drug was not substantially degraded by the electrospinning process. SEM images showed that the fibers formed were cylindrical in shape with smooth surfaces. FTIR indicated that BSA and 5-FU are well distributed in the fiber, forming significant numbers of H-bonds with the carrier PVP polymer. This suggests the composite fibers are more thermodynamic stability compare to the physical mixture. The XRD and the DSC results demonstrated that BSA and 5-FU were distributed in the fiber matrix in an amorphous state. In-vitro dissolution tests showed that the fiber mats released the drug within 10 s through a polymer-controlled mechanism, leading to a significant decrease in dissolution time over the pure drug. In conclusion, for the first time we have prepared albumin based nanofibers for targeted anti-cancer drug delivery; preliminary data indicate that these fibers improve the solubility of 5-FU and are effective against model cancel cell lines.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Nanotechnology 2012: Bio Sensors, Instruments, Medical, Environment and Energy (Volume 3)
Published: June 18, 2012
Pages: 222 - 225
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Medical & Biotech
Topics: Biomaterials, Cancer Nanotechnology
ISBN: 978-1-4665-6276-9