Green nanofiber biocomposites for drug delivery: A sustainable approach to advanced pharmaceutical systems

Abstract

The advancement of sustainable and biocompatible materials has opened new avenues in drug delivery systems, especially through the integration of plant-based nanofiber biocomposites. These materials, derived from renewable sources such as cellulose, lignin, starch, and pectin, offer superior properties like high surface area, porosity, tunable mechanical strength, and biodegradability. This review provides a focused analysis of their role in drug delivery, highlighting electrospinning-based fabrication methods and mechanisms of drug encapsulation and release. Their applications in controlled release, targeted therapy, wound healing, and phytochemical delivery are also discussed. Furthermore, the review discusses regulatory and clinical translation challenges, along with innovations such as AI-optimized design, where machine learning tools are increasingly applied to predict drug–polymer interactions and optimize formulation parameters, and bioresponsive platforms capable of stimuli-triggered or environment-specific release for precision therapy. Regulatory and clinical translation challenges are also considered. The aim is to delineate the state-of-the-art and guide future development of sustainable nanofiber-based drug delivery technologies.