Abidian, Mohammad Reza2020-01-03December 22019-12December 2https://hdl.handle.net/10657/5650Coaxial electrospinning is a novel method for encapsulation of protein drugs into polymeric materials for use in drug delivery systems. In this study, coaxial electrospinning was used to fabricate aligned polyethylene oxide/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) core-shell nanofibers encapsulated with nerve growth factor (NGF), a trophic agent for axonal regeneration. Electrospinning processing parameters, namely inner and outer flow rates, wheel speed, needle-wheel distance, and applied voltage, were optimized using design of experiment (DOE) methodology to achieve nanofibers with minimized diameter and size distribution. The resulting prediction models were validated using analysis of variance. Optimized fibers were incubated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 3 days, and the released NGF was characterized at different time points using ELISA. The NGF release profile was mathematically modeled utilizing the Korsmeyer-Peppas and zero-order models. The results of this study can be applied to drug delivery systems for neural regeneration.application/pdfengThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).Coaxial electrospinningDesign of Experiment optimization2020-01-03Thesisborn digital