Targeted delivery of sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) by pH-sensitive Eudragit L100-55 nanofibrous mats fabricated through advanced coaxial electrospinning

Mycotoxin contamination of animal feed leads to deleterious effects on the health and performance of animals. Sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) can detoxify the common mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in vivo; however, it degrades in aqueous and acidic conditions like the stomach, leading to further discomfort. Nanofibers are an effective encapsulation method to deliver drugs to various points along the gastrointestinal tract. This study aims to encapsulate SMBS into nanofibrous mats to allow for the targeted delivery of intact SMBS to the small intestine of pigs and evaluate the efficacy of DON detoxification in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) using IPEC-J2 cells in vitro. Coaxial electrospinning of a solution of a pH-sensitive polymer (Eudragit L100-55) produced nanofibrous mats with a peak loading capacity of SMBS reaching 35.8% and loading efficiency reaching 89.4%. In vitro release studies showed 47.5–49.7% of the encapsulated SMBS was released in the simulated gastric fluid (SGF) within 2 h, while the remaining 44.0–50.2% of loaded SMBS was released within 2 h of exposure to SIF. Additionally, DON detoxification via SMBS-containing nanofibers was confirmed in vitro using IPEC-J2 cells, as seen through decreased gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and improved maintenance of cell integrity in cells exposed to DON treated with SMBS-containing nanofibers as opposed to DON alone. For the first time, we demonstrate the successful encapsulation of particulate SMBS within a nano-vehicle (electrospun nanofibers), limited release of SMBS from the nano-vehicle in SGF, and around 50% release in SIF, and effective detoxification of DON by the SMBS-containing nano-vehicle in an IPEC-J2 cell assay. Graphical abstract