Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications

Electrospinning is a technique that uses polymer solutions and strong electric fields to produce nano-sized fibers that have wide-ranging applications. We present here an overview of the use of electrospinning to incorporate biological products into nanofibers, including microorganisms, cells, prote...

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Main Authors: Spase Stojanov, Aleš Berlec
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00130/full
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author Spase Stojanov
Spase Stojanov
Aleš Berlec
Aleš Berlec
author_facet Spase Stojanov
Spase Stojanov
Aleš Berlec
Aleš Berlec
author_sort Spase Stojanov
collection DOAJ
description Electrospinning is a technique that uses polymer solutions and strong electric fields to produce nano-sized fibers that have wide-ranging applications. We present here an overview of the use of electrospinning to incorporate biological products into nanofibers, including microorganisms, cells, proteins, and nucleic acids. Although the conditions used during electrospinning limit the already problematic viability/stability of such biological products, their effective incorporation into nanofibers has been shown to be feasible. Synthetic polymers have been more frequently applied to make nanofibers than natural polymers. Polymer blends are commonly used to achieve favorable physical properties of nanofibers. The majority of nanofibers that contain biological product have been designed for therapeutic applications. The incorporation of these biological products into nanofibers can promote their stability or viability, and also allow their delivery to a desired tissue or organ. Other applications include plant protection in agriculture, fermentation in the food industry, biocatalytic environmental remediation, and biosensing. Live cells that have been incorporated into nanofibers include bacteria and fungi. Nanofibers have served as scaffolds for stem cells seeded on a surface, to enable their delivery and application in tissue regeneration and wound healing. Viruses incorporated into nanofibers have been used in gene delivery, as well as in therapies against bacterial infections and cancers. Proteins (hormones, growth factors, and enzymes) and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) have been incorporated into nanofibers, mainly to treat diseases and enhance their stability. To summarize, incorporation of biological products into nanofibers has numerous advantages, such as providing protection and facilitating controlled delivery from a solid form with a large surface area. Future studies should address the challenge of transferring nanofibers with biological products into practical and industrial use.
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spelling doaj.art-e68ef38d6d894b60ab4ac9e8504392432022-12-21T17:50:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852020-02-01810.3389/fbioe.2020.00130511400Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other ApplicationsSpase Stojanov0Spase Stojanov1Aleš Berlec2Aleš Berlec3Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, SloveniaFaculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaDepartment of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, SloveniaFaculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaElectrospinning is a technique that uses polymer solutions and strong electric fields to produce nano-sized fibers that have wide-ranging applications. We present here an overview of the use of electrospinning to incorporate biological products into nanofibers, including microorganisms, cells, proteins, and nucleic acids. Although the conditions used during electrospinning limit the already problematic viability/stability of such biological products, their effective incorporation into nanofibers has been shown to be feasible. Synthetic polymers have been more frequently applied to make nanofibers than natural polymers. Polymer blends are commonly used to achieve favorable physical properties of nanofibers. The majority of nanofibers that contain biological product have been designed for therapeutic applications. The incorporation of these biological products into nanofibers can promote their stability or viability, and also allow their delivery to a desired tissue or organ. Other applications include plant protection in agriculture, fermentation in the food industry, biocatalytic environmental remediation, and biosensing. Live cells that have been incorporated into nanofibers include bacteria and fungi. Nanofibers have served as scaffolds for stem cells seeded on a surface, to enable their delivery and application in tissue regeneration and wound healing. Viruses incorporated into nanofibers have been used in gene delivery, as well as in therapies against bacterial infections and cancers. Proteins (hormones, growth factors, and enzymes) and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) have been incorporated into nanofibers, mainly to treat diseases and enhance their stability. To summarize, incorporation of biological products into nanofibers has numerous advantages, such as providing protection and facilitating controlled delivery from a solid form with a large surface area. Future studies should address the challenge of transferring nanofibers with biological products into practical and industrial use.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00130/fullnanofiberselectrospinningbacteriafungivirusesstem cells
spellingShingle Spase Stojanov
Spase Stojanov
Aleš Berlec
Aleš Berlec
Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
nanofibers
electrospinning
bacteria
fungi
viruses
stem cells
title Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
title_full Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
title_fullStr Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
title_full_unstemmed Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
title_short Electrospun Nanofibers as Carriers of Microorganisms, Stem Cells, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids in Therapeutic and Other Applications
title_sort electrospun nanofibers as carriers of microorganisms stem cells proteins and nucleic acids in therapeutic and other applications
topic nanofibers
electrospinning
bacteria
fungi
viruses
stem cells
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00130/full
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AT spasestojanov electrospunnanofibersascarriersofmicroorganismsstemcellsproteinsandnucleicacidsintherapeuticandotherapplications
AT alesberlec electrospunnanofibersascarriersofmicroorganismsstemcellsproteinsandnucleicacidsintherapeuticandotherapplications
AT alesberlec electrospunnanofibersascarriersofmicroorganismsstemcellsproteinsandnucleicacidsintherapeuticandotherapplications