Anti-Cancer Nanofibrous Bandage Based on PVA Nanofibers Loaded with Gefitinib for Skin Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, requiring sophisticated and versatile treatment options. As the enabling concept, nanotechnology has emerged to improve the efficacy of the current treatment strategies and eliminate their shortcomings and limitations. Accordingly, the main purpose of the current study is to develop a topical drug delivery system for Gefitinib (Gef), an EGFR inhibitor, based on the electrospun nanofibers. Electrospinning was applied to fabricate PVA nanofibers with different concentrations of Gef, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.%, and the SEM imaging showed that the nanofibers were straight, uniform, and beadles. The results showed that adding Gef did not significantly compromise the mechanical strength of nanofibers. The fabricated anticancer nanofibrous bandage exhibited a burst drug release following a sustained release profile. The cell lethality assay revealed that the treatment of the cells with the Gef-loaded nanofibers induced dose-dependent toxicity, which is valuable for the intended anticancer application. The results of the present study showed that Gef can be loaded into PVA nanofibers without disrupting the morphology and mechanical properties of the nanofibers and can be applied as topical drug delivery for skin cancer.