Electrospun Poly(lactide-co-glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) as a Bioresorbable Platform for Docetaxel-Degradation, Drug Delivery Study and Anticancer Activity

Drug delivery systems are constantly being developed or modified to meet various requirements, but most of all, they are designed to provide controlled, sustained, and targeted drug delivery. A popular technique of the last few years involves the encapsulation of drugs into polymeric nanofibers with the use of electrospinning. The parameters of the process strongly influence not only the morphology of the fibers but the properties of the whole electrospun system, including the drug release profile. In this study, poly(lactide-co-glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) and docetaxel were used for the electrospinning process in combination with different kinds of solvents to obtain implantable drug delivery systems. We examined the drug release profile, anticancer activity and course of the nonwoven degradation. As a result, a docetaxel-loaded electrospun terpolymer platform was developed as a drug delivery system intended for potential, loco-regional application in prostate cancer therapy. We observed that the drug release profile of the system prepared using hexafluoroisopropanol differed from the system prepared using dichloromethane, although nearly 100% of the docetaxel was released within 20 weeks in both cases. By contrast, the courses of degradation were similar, except during the last period. Drug-loaded electrospun systems exerted a strong cytotoxic effect on DU-145 and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines. The flexibility of the system, arising from its fibrous structure, and the anticancer activity observed in vitro provide a basis for further in vivo studies, assessing its suitability as an implantable platform for local drug delivery at the site of tumor growth.