Pharmaceutical and medical applications of nanofibers

Abstract

Nanofibers as a main group of nanoparticles have a vast range of applicability for therapeutic purposes, duo to their outstanding attributes such as very large surface to volume ratio and high porosity. These types of nanoparticles are more known as tissue scaffolds and drug delivery carriers. Nanofiber-based carriers are able to control the release pattern of drugs. In addition, they can act as multidrug-loaded materials with programed dual release profile. Electrospinning is a simple method, which is recognized as the most efficient approach for the fabrication of nanofibers. Production of ultrafine fibers based on various natural or synthetic polymers is possible by means of electrospinning. In this chapter, a comprehensive review is presented on various medical applications of electrospun nanofibers in the case of tissue engineering and drug delivery. Several investigations on therapeutic nanofibers and their processing methods are also summarized in this chapter. © 2017 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.