Dual-corn-derived nanofiber membrane for subconjunctival injury: Sequential release of dual-natural products for programmed anti-inflammation and anti-fibrosis.

Subconjunctival injuries represent significant clinical challenges due to the complexities of post-injury inflammation and subsequent fibrosis, which lead to vision impairment; however, currently, no clinical interventions are available to resolve this problem. In this work, a novel dual drug-loaded core-shell nanofiber membrane based on two corn derivatives was fabricated via coaxial electrospinning to address this unmet clinical need. The nanofiber structure, comprising a polylactic acid shell and a zein core, sequentially released two natural products, rutin and celastrol. The rutin loaded in the polylactic acid shell was rapidly released to produce anti-inflammatory effects, whereas the celastrol loaded in the zein core was slowly released in the later stage to inhibit subconjunctival fibrosis. The in vitro results indicated that this nanofiber membrane platform significantly decreased the secretion of key proinflammatory cytokines and fibrosis biomarkers and reduced the risk of early bacterial invasion. Moreover, the in vivo results revealed that this platform not only ameliorated inflammation but also inhibited late-stage fibrosis, suggesting a promising therapeutic strategy. This study provides an effective exploration of a controlled and safe drug delivery platform, serving as a reference for effective interventions in other related diseases.