Doxorubicin-loaded electrospun poly(L-lactic acid)/mesoporous silica nanoparticles composite nanofibers for potential postsurgical cancer treatment

A drug-loaded implantable scaffold is a promising alternative for the treatment of a tissue defect after tumor resection. In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were used as carriers to load an anticancer drug -doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), and the DOX-loaded MSNs (DOX@MSNs) were subsequently incorporated into poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofibers via electrospinning, resulting in a new drug-loaded nanofibrous scaffold (PLLA/DOX@MSNs). The as-prepared composite nanofibrous scaffold was characterized by various techniques. In vitro release profiles of DOX from PLLA/DOX@MSNs composite nanofibers were examined and the in vitro antitumor efficacy against HeLa cells was also evaluated. The results showed that DOX-loaded MSNs were successfully incorporated into composite nanofibers with different MSN (or DOX) contents. Among them, the PLLA/1.0% DOX@10% MSN nanofibers exhibited good particle distribution and improved thermal stability. More importantly, they possessed high DOX-loading capacities due to which the drug can be released in a sustained and prolonged manner, and therefore higher in vitro antitumor efficacy than their MSNs-free counterparts. Thus, the prepared PLLA/MSNs composite nanofibrous mats are highly promising as local implantable scaffolds for potential postsurgical cancer treatment.