Nanofibers as a Smart Nano Carrier for Drug Delivery System: Formulation and Evaluation Concept
Prachi S. Patil, Pravin PawarConsidering that nanofibers can precisely control drug loading, release kinetics, and therapeutic performance, they have become a highly attractive platform for improved drug delivery systems. Because it enables the production of continuous nanofibers with customizable designs, such as core–shell, porous, aligned, and multi-component structures, electrospinning is the most commonly used approach among the many fabrication methods. These structural characteristics allow for the effective encapsulation of a wide range of medications and provide significant advantages in terms of formulation versatility. High drug encapsulation efficiency, improved solubility and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, and adaptable release patterns that can be customized for immediate, sustained, or targeted delivery have all been repeatedly reported with electrospun nanofibers. Crucially, drug–polymer interactions, the physical stability of the loaded drug, and the predominant release mechanisms—such as diffusion, polymer degradation, or swelling-controlled transport—are all directly impacted by nanoscale structural control. Furthermore, enhanced mass transfer and enhanced contact with biological environments are made possible by nanofibers' high surface area-to-volume ratio. Nanofibrous scaffolds are particularly appealing for tissue engineering and wound healing applications because of their extracellular matrix-mimicking morphology, which improves cell adhesion, proliferation, and tissue integration in addition to medication administration. Overall, this review shows that nanofiber-based drug delivery systems have significant advantages over conventional dosage forms. They also demonstrate considerable potential for next-generation therapies and pharmaceutical products with systematic formulation optimization, standardized characterization protocols, and clinically relevant evaluation strategies. Furthermore, the incorporation of intelligent and stimuli-responsive nanofibers could increase their usefulness for precision and personalized therapy