Abstract
Purpose: To develop rapamycin-eluting electrospun polyurethane (PU) vascular grafts that could effectively suppress local smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation. Methods: Rapamycin (RM) was incorporated in PU fibers by blend electrospinning using three distinct blending methods. The drug release profiles and the bioavailability of RM-containing PU fibers in the form of fibrous mats and vascular grafts were evaluated up to 77 days in vitro. Results: RM-contained PU fibers generated by the three distinct blending methods exhibited significantly different fiber diameters (200-500 nm) and distinct RM release kinetics. Young's moduli of the electrospun fibrous mats increased with higher RM contents and decreased with larger fiber diameters. For all blending methods, RM release kinetics was characteristic of a Fickian diffusion for at least 77 days in vitro. RM-PU fibers generated via powder blending showed the highest encapsulation efficiency. The RM in grafts made of these fibers remained bioactive and was still able to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation after 77 days of continual in vitro release. Conclusions: Electrospun RM-containing PU fibers can serve as effective drug carriers for the local suppression of SMC proliferation and could be used as RM-eluting scaffolds for vascular grafts.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1735-1748 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Pharmaceutical Research |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2013 |
Keywords
- drug release
- electrospinning
- rapamycin
- restenosis
- smooth muscle cell