Enhanced composite electrospun nanofiber scaffolds for use in drug delivery

Abstract

The utility of nanofibrous electrospun composite scaffolds has greatly expanded over the last decade, so that they now serve as viable drug delivery vehicles for a host of different biomedical applications. The material properties of electrospun scaffolds are extremely advantageous for drug delivery, in which site-specificity and lower overall medicinal dosages lead to a potential industry-altering mechanism of delivering therapeutics. Different drugs used to predominantly treat infections and cancers can easily be incorporated and released at therapeutic dosages. Further, the inherent high porosity of these electrospun scaffolds allows for a more precisely controlled degradation which is tunable by polymer composition and fiber morphology, leading to sustained drug release. This review examines the current research and breakthrough discoveries that have elevated electrospun scaffolds to a cutting-edge technology that will dramatically alter the landscape of drug delivery.