LAUSR

The aim of the present work was to develop novel meshes of poly (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanofibers for potential applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering taking into account the successful application of PBCA in other medical uses. Electrospinning was applied to solutions of PBCA, 103 and 106 Da. 5-fluorouracil was chosen as model drug for the delivery study because of its effectiveness against cancer, while human gingival fibroblasts (HFIB-G) to confirm the biocompatibility of drug-free PBCA meshes and their potential for tissue engineering. PBCA was able to be electrospun in a wide range of molecular weights, producing fibers free of defects with diameters between 380 nm and 6 μm. Meshes of PBCA (105-106 Da) showed high flexibility with Younǵs modulus and maximal tension values in the range of 0.3-1.6 MPa and 0.03-0.13 MPa respectively. Results from the drug delivery study suggested that 5-fluorouracil was homogeneously loaded into PBCA meshes. Its release was extremely slow, initially 20% in 7 days and the rest gradually (until 96 days) in physiological medium at 37°C. HFIB-G were well attached and proliferated over PBCA nanofibers during 23 days. Results suggested that PBCA meshes serve as excellent frameworks for cell adhesion/proliferation, and for drug delivery extended periods.