Electrospinner: Silk fibroin nanoparticles for drug delivery

Background

Silk fibroin (SF) nanoparticles have great potential in the field of drug delivery due to their unique physical and chemical properties. The following is a summary and outlook on the preparation methods, applications and future development of silk fibroin nanoparticles   

Preparation methods

Solvent replacement method: By changing the solvent environment, protein phase separation is promoted to form nanoparticles. The conditions are mild and smaller particles can be obtained

Salting out method: By increasing salt to reduce protein solubility, protein aggregation is promoted to form nanoparticles. It is low-cost and easy to operate

Supercritical fluid technology: Using supercritical CO2 as an anti-solvent, the particle size is precisely controlled and it is environmentally friendly

Electrospray technology: Using electricity to drive droplets to form nanoparticles, the size and distribution can be precisely controlled

Mechanical pulverization method: Nanoparticles are prepared by means of high-energy ball milling, which is suitable for mass production, but may result in a wide distribution of particle sizes

Microemulsion method: Using water droplets or oil droplets stabilized by surfactants in the microemulsion system as templates to prepare highly uniform nanoparticles

Electric field method and capillary microdot technology: emerging technologies that control protein in the microemulsion system through specific physical fields or microfluidics Aggregation in solution

Application

Silk fibroin nanoparticles can effectively encapsulate various drugs, including small molecule drugs, proteins and growth factors, and achieve their stable release in vivo

Studies have shown that by adjusting the chemical structure and morphology of silk fibroin, the purpose of controlling drug release rate, improving drug bioavailability and targeted delivery can be achieved

Silk fibroin nanoparticles show application potential in treating cancer, promoting tissue regeneration and as a vaccine delivery system

Connection with electrospinning

Biomedical materials: Electrospinning technology can produce nanofibers with a diameter smaller than that of cells, which can simulate the structure and biological function of natural extracellular matrix, providing possibilities for tissue and organ repair

Due to the large specific surface area and porosity of nanofibers, they have been well applied in drug controlled release, wound repair, biological tissue engineering, etc.

Drug controlled release: The use of electrospun micro-nanofibers for drug delivery can achieve controlled release of drugs, which has gradually become a research hotspot in recent years. Electrospinning fibers can improve the solubility and bioavailability of drugs. The development of electrospinning fiber technology such as core-shell structure makes it possible to apply it to the sustained and controlled release of drugs

Future development

By adjusting the crystallinity, molecular weight or cross-linking degree of silk fibroin, its biodegradation rate can be further regulated to achieve precise control of drug release dynamics

Future research needs to focus on developing new nanoparticle preparation technologies to meet different drug delivery needs

Using methods such as genetic engineering and surface chemical modification to further improve the functionality of silk fibroin nanoparticles, such as increasing its targeting ability to specific cells and improving the therapeutic efficiency of drugs

Silk fibroin-based nanoparticles have broad application prospects in the field of biomedicine, especially in improving drug delivery efficiency, reducing systemic toxicity and developing new treatment methods.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://doi.org110.3390/ijms16034880