A review of electrospun polymeric fibers as potential drug delivery systems for tunable release kinetics

Abstract

Recently, the pursuit of innovative targeted drug delivery strategies has been one of the major frontiers in biomedical research. Electrospun nanofibers have emerged as an appealing vehicle for drug delivery owing to their remarkable drug-loading efficiency and adaptability in enabling drug administration through multiple delivery routes. This review overviews the potential of electrospinning in generating polymeric fibers as an efficient delivery vehicle. It outlines the fundamentals of electrospinning process, key parameters influencing the fiber characteristics, and the advantages of electrospun fibers that outperform traditional carriers. The essence of drug delivery and the secret underlying the selection of optimal drug-carrier pairs are also discussed in detail with the recent literature support. This study compares synthetic/natural and hydrophilic/hydrophobic polymer combinations as superior drug carriers in regulating the release patterns compared to individual polymer-carriers. A comprehensive discussion on drug release patterns, the mechanism of release, the necessity for tailoring release kinetics, and the selection of best-fit models for drug release gives insights into the design of delivery platforms. Drawing on recent advances, this article also delves into the advancing fields of tissue engineering, wound care, and cancer therapy, where an electrospun polymeric delivery system transforms the treatment strategies with patient-compiled, site-specific, controlled, and sustained therapeutic outcomes. Overall, this study emphasizes electrospun polymeric fibers as a promising solution in resolving current drug delivery challenges as a potential vehicle for drug delivery.