Dexamethasone-incorporated nanofibrous meshes for antiproliferation of smooth muscle cells: thermally induced drug-loading strategy.

Pluronic-immobilized nanofibrous meshes were tailored for thermally induced incorporation of dexamethasone. A diblock copolymer composed of poly(e-caprolactone)-poly (ethyleneglycol) (NH(2)) (PCL-PEG (NH(2))) was electrospun to a nanofibrous mesh, and Pluronic was subsequently surface-immobilized on the mesh in aqueous phase. Surface-wettability analysis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy confirmed surface-decoration of nanofibrous meshes with Pluronic moieties depending on the blend ratios of PCL-PEG(NH(2)). Fluorescently-labeled micelles were incorporated in the nanofibrous meshes by temperature modulation and showed attenuated release profiles of the micelles were for 1 month. The suppression degree of drug-loaded micelle releases was proportional to the blend ratio of PCL-PEG(NH(2)). Dexamethasone was formulated into micellar nanoaggregates, and the dexamethasone micelles-loaded nanofibrous meshes were used for antiproliferation studies of smooth muscle cells. Flow cytometric analysis of the arrested cells at a G(0)-G(1) phase revealed that the dexamethasone micelles-loaded nanofibrous meshes effectively controlled proliferation of the smooth muscle cells when cells were cultivated with the nanofibrous meshes. The antiproliferation effects of the nanofibrous meshes were closely correlated to the release profiles of the micelles from the nanofibrous meshes with different blend ratios. Thus, dexamethasone-incorporated nanofibrous meshes can be potentially used for treatments of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.