Novel 'Nano in Nano' Composites for Sustained Drug Delivery: Biodegradable Nanoparticles Encapsulated into Nanofiber Non-Wovens

Novel 'nano in nano' composites consisting of biodegradable polymer nanoparticles incorporated into polymer nanofibers may efficiently modulate drug delivery. This is shown here using a combination of model compound-loaded biodegradable nanoparticles encapsulated in electrospun fibers. The dye coumarin 6 is used as model compound for a drug in order to simulate drug release from loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles. Dye release from the nanoparticles occurs immediately in aqueous solution. Dye-loaded nanoparticles which are encapsulated by electrospun polymer nanofibers display a significantly retarded release.