Polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol core-shell nanofibers as a pH-responsive drug carrier for the potential application in chemotherapy against colon cancer

Abstract Polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol (PCL/PVA) core-shell nanofibers with pH-responsive properties were successfully prepared by coaxial electrospinning, in which PCL and PVA constituted the core and shell, respectively. The nanofibers can be effectively degraded under acidic or neutral condition. Additionally, the as-prepared PCL/PVA fibers can be used as carriers for anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) and the PTX loaded fibers showed pH-responsive release of the drug. After cultured with colon cancer LoVo cells, PTX from the fibers can inhibit the proliferation and growth of the cells completely, even kill them. The PCL/PVA core-shell nanofibers were promising biomaterials in the application of biomedical and tissue engineering fields.