Edmans, J.G., Harrison, S., Hatton, P.V. et al. (3 more authors) (2024) Electrospinning polymersomes into bead-on-string polyethylene oxide fibres for the delivery of biopharmaceuticals to mucosal epithelia. Biomaterials Advances, 157. 213734. ISSN 2772-9508
Abstract
Fibrous mucoadhesive polymer membranes prepared using electrospinning demonstrate many advantages for mucosal drug delivery compared to other formulations. Previous electrospun membrane formulations have been developed mainly for the delivery of small molecule drugs. There remains great potential to further develop the technology for the delivery of vesicular vectors that allow administration of advanced therapeutic agents. However, there are no previous reports demonstrating the release of intact drug delivery vesicles from electrospun materials. Here, we describe incorporation and release of protein-loaded polymersomes from polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based electrospun membranes. Polymersomes comprising a copolymer of glycerol monomethacrylate (GMA) and hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) were prepared using polymerization-induced self-assembly and incorporated within PEO membranes using bead-on-string electrospinning at approximately 40 % w/w by polymer mass. Super-resolution fluorescence imaging showed that the vesicles remained intact and retained their encapsulated protein load within the fibre beads. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering demonstrated that polymersomes retained their morphology following release from the polymer fibres. F(ab) antibody fragments were encapsulated within polymersomes and then electrospun into membranes. 78 ± 13 % of the F(ab) remained encapsulated within polymersomes during electrospinning and retained functionality when released from electrospun membranes, demonstrating that the formulation is suitable for the delivery of biologics. Membranes were non-irritant to the oral epithelium and fluorescence microscopy detected accumulation of polymersomes within the epithelia following application. This innovative drug delivery approach represents a novel and potentially highly useful method for the administration of large molecular mass therapeutic molecules to diseased mucosal sites.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Electrospinning; Polymersome; Antibody; Drug delivery; Mucosa |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Clinical Dentistry (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL BB/M012522/1 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EP/L016281/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 Dec 2023 10:17 |
Last Modified: | 21 Dec 2023 10:17 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.bioadv.2023.213734 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:206876 |