Polycaprolactone–Gelatin Membranes in Controlled Drug Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil
Faezeh Ghahreman, Dariush Semnani, Saied Nouri Khorasani, Jaleh Varshosaz, Shahla Khalili, Sajjad Mohammadi, Elham Kaviannasab
Abstract
Abstract Nanofibers are known as promising carriers for anticancer drug delivery, particularly in postoperative local chemotherapy, through surgical grafting the membrane. In this study, blends of poly (ε‑caprolactone) (PCL) and gelatin (Ge) at various polymeric proportions were used for electrospinning of the nanofibers containing the anticancer drug of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). The electrospinning was performed at three different conditions to study the influence of processing parameters on the membrane properties. The morphology and tensile properties of the PCL-Ge nanofibers were reliant on the gelatin ratio and the processing condition. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) outcomes demonstrated that 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was well distributed in the fiber matrix, forming H-bonds and in an amorphous state. Weight loss measurements and drug release study showed much faster degradation, and 5-FU releasing from the nanofibers contained a higher amount of gelatin. Studying the cytotoxicity of the 5-FU-loaded nanofibers showed that the P70G30FU had well restrained the survive, attachment, and proliferation of HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. Therefore, the 5-FU loaded PCL-Ge nanofibers have the ability of controlled drug release following the desired cancer treatment protocol.