Degradable polyvinyl alcohol/poly(butylene carbonate) core–shell nanofibers for chemotherapy and tissue engineering

•PVA/PBC core–shell nanofibers are fabricated by coaxial electrospinning.•The resulting fibers are completely biocompatible and degradable.•The DOX loaded fibers are effective for inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.•The nanofibers can be used in chemotherapy and tissue engineering.

Polyvinyl alcohol/poly(butylene carbonate) (PVA/PBC) core–shell nanofibers are successfully prepared by the coaxial electrospinning technology, in which PVA forms the core and PBC forms the shell. The core–shell microstructure of the fibers is certified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FT-IR analysis demonstrates that there is no chemical interaction between PVA and PBC. The as-prepared nanofibers are completely biocompatible and they can be used as a drug loader for doxorubicin (DOX). The DOX loaded nanofibers are quite effective in prohibiting the SKOV3 ovary cells attachment and proliferation, which are potential for chemotherapy of ovary cancer. Besides, the PVA/PBC core–shell nanofibers can be degraded in physiological environment, which is promising in the application of tissue engineering.