Department of Physics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
Biomed Microdevices. 2013 Oct;15(5):887-93. doi: 10.1007/s10544-013-9777-5.
The aim of this study was to demonstrate targeted delivery of protein-based bactericidal antibiotics using electrospun polymer nanofibers. Previous studies have utilized electrospinning to create nanofibers for the localized delivery of therapeutic agents, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and low molecular weight heparin. By employing established electrospinning techniques, nanofibers of varying diameters (100-500 nm) were generated from a 0.05 % solution of poly(ethylene-oxide) (PEO) and the antimicrobial peptide, LL-37 was incorporated into the nanofiber meshwork. Initial experiments determined that the strong electric fields caused by electrospinning do not disrupt the antimicrobial properties of LL-37, thus justifying the application of LL-37 as an electrospun component. Disk diffusion assays and especially bacterial filtration studies with E. coli were conducted to quantify the drug delivery potential of the nanofibers. Disk diffusion revealed a small zone of inhibition of about 1 mm around the LL-37-incorporated nanofiber disk. Filtration tests demonstrated that electrospun PEO fibers were capable of delivering LL-37 consistently while still maintaining their antimicrobial abilities.
本研究旨在展示使用电纺聚合物纳米纤维靶向递送基于蛋白质的杀菌抗生素。先前的研究已经利用电纺技术来创建用于局部递送治疗剂的纳米纤维，包括非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）和低分子量肝素。通过采用既定的电纺技术，从 0.05%的聚（氧化乙烯）（PEO）溶液中生成了直径为 100-500nm 的纳米纤维，并将抗菌肽 LL-37 掺入纳米纤维网中。初步实验确定，电纺产生的强电场不会破坏 LL-37 的抗菌特性，从而证明了 LL-37 作为电纺组件的应用。采用圆盘扩散测定法和特别是大肠杆菌的细菌过滤研究来定量评估纳米纤维的药物递送潜力。圆盘扩散显示，LL-37 掺入的纳米纤维圆盘周围的抑菌区约为 1mm。过滤测试表明，电纺 PEO 纤维能够持续输送 LL-37，同时保持其抗菌能力。
