Electrospun PCL membranes for localized drug delivery and bone regeneration.

Background: Bone loss caused by cysts, tumors, trauma, and other factors is a significant challenge in medicine and dentistry. Effective bone regeneration is essential for accelerated healing and improved bone volume. While systemic drug supplementation helps, local delivery through gbr/gtr membranes is preferred for targeted treatment with minimal systemic effects. This study aims to develop drug-loaded gbr membranes using electrospinning to enhance localized drug delivery and tissue regeneration.

Methods: Polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes were produced via electrospinning with various concentrations and solvent ratios. Therapeutic agents-pentoxifylline, carrageenan, and sodium fluoride-were incorporated into the membranes. Morphological analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties were assessed through tensile testing, structural characterization was done via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermal properties were evaluated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Drug release behavior was studied using UV-Vis spectrophotometry.

Results: SEM revealed optimal fiber morphology in membranes with 10% PCL and 1% pentoxifylline, 0.5% NaF, and 1% carrageenan. Tensile strength was highest in 10% PCL membranes (2.5 MPa), outperforming 12% PCL (1.8 MPa). FTIR and TGA confirmed successful drug incorporation and thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures ranging from 395 °C to 510.9 °C. UV-Vis showed effective drug release, with 2% pentoxifylline achieving the highest release at 2 h (34%) and 4 h (62%), demonstrating enhanced performance for localized drug delivery.

Conclusions: PCL-based electrospun membranes with therapeutic agents were successfully developed, exhibiting promising characteristics for localized drug delivery and tissue regeneration. These membranes showed comparable mechanical properties to commercial GBR/GTR membranes. Future research should focus on optimizing formulations and evaluating clinical efficacy.