Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammation of periodontal tissues caused by an excessive immune response to the disturbed balance of bacteria in the oral biofilm. Immunomodulatory agents such as curcumin and linolenic acid are among drugs under investigation. Local delivery systems administered into the periodontal pocket have great potential for the treatment of periodontal disease. Therefore, the aim of this master's thesis was to develop and characterize zein and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers with curcumin and linolenic acid.
Nanofibers were developed by electrospinning polymer solutions. To improve the understanding of the process and to optimize it, two designs of experiments were developed by which we developed zein/PVP fibers with 10% (w/w) linolenic acid. Further, curcumin was also incorporated into two of the selected formulations and the fibers produced were characterized physicochemically.
Of the solvents tested, acetic acid was selected because it dissolves both polymers, linolenic acid and partially curcumin, and is also suitable for the electrospinning process. It was found that the higher total polymer concentration increased the fiber diameter, while the increased content of zein decreased the fiber diameter and increased the relative standard deviation of fiber diameter. In addition, the increased content of linolenic acid decreased the relative standard deviation of the fiber diameter. The developed model can recommend the appropriate choice of formulation variables for the desired nanofiber diameter. Zein/PVP nanofibers with 10% (w/w) linolenic acid and 10% (w/w) curcumin with a minimum average diameter of ⁓640 nm and fibers with a maximum average diameter of ⁓2500 nm were successfully developed. By examining the morphology of nanofibers, we found that the thinner nanofibers were round and had a smooth surface, while the thicker fibers were flatter and had a wrinkled surface. The contact angle analysis showed that the nanofibers were hydrophilic and their mesh was highly porous. The results of differential dynamic calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy image analysis suggest that part of curcumin in the nanofibers was in the form of amorphous dispersion and part of it in a crystalline form. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, interactions between linolenic acid and curcumin were detected in the nanofibers. The developed nanofibers represent the first step in developing of an effective formulation for the treatment of periodontal disease.
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