Application of Electrospun Polymeric Fibrous Membranes as Patches for Atopic Skin Treatments.

All over the world people suffer from many skin problems including eczema, atopic dermatitis (AD), and various allergy-related issues, which generally cause skin dryness, redness, and itching. To protect the skin barrier, increasing its moisture and hydration is highly recommended, which helps to prevent further bacterial infection and external irritation. Electrospun membranes are ideal material for skin patches allowing topical drug delivery and reducing transepidermal water loss on the skin due to their high surface area to volume ratio. Therefore, in our research we focus on electrospun polymer membranes with a porosity above 90% to deliver gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) from natural oil to increase skin hydration. Various geometries of membranes (aligned, random, nano- and microfibers) and polymers (PVB, PCL, PHBV, PI, PA6, PS) are used to design patches with controlled oil release over a few hours. The experimental studies in vitro and in vivo have been confirmed with the theoretical modeling of oil transport through the porous patches. The results indicate the beneficial effects of the electrospun patches and their high biocompatibility. We show that oil spreading and transport in patches depend on the sizes of the fibers and pores, their surface properties, and porosity. The controlled transport over 6 h of oil containing GLA is directly correlated with the increased skin hydration level. Additionally, electrospun fibers and membranes can be easily modified by blend electrospinning of polymers with oils, or coating fibers with urea or chlorine used in treating AD. The electrospun patches can be simply applied overnight for protecting the skin and improving the comfort of people suffering from various acne and eczema problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]