Drug delivery systems with controlled and targeted release of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can show improved therapeutic effect and reduced toxicity, as compared with systemic delivery. Electropun nanofiber based drug delivery has recently received wide research interest for enhanced drug solubility, dissolution rate and biomedical applications for delivering various therapeutic agents, including antibiotics, anticancer drugs, RNA, DNA, and proteins. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) are two polymers used extensively in electrospinning applications. PVA is a biocompatible, water soluble polymer used in pharmaceutical formulations while poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) is a water insoluble, biocompatible polymer and has been used in biomedical applications including drug delivery and tissue engineering. Although electrospinning of these polymers has been previously shown, extensive evaluation of the impact of polymer characteristics such as molecular weight on electrospun nanofiber and drug release is still needed. In this study, we investigated nanofiber morphology, release of a model drug (ciprofloxacin) from nanofibers and electrospinning parameters as a function of polymer types (PVA or PVAc) and molecular weight. In addition, viscosity and surface tension were obtained on polymer solutions and the resultant nanofibers were assessed via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that optimization of applied voltage and flow rate is required to achieve a stable Taylor cone. In case of PVA, substantial effect of the molecular weight and polymer solution concentration was observed on the nanofiber morphology. At the lowest molecular weight (13-23 kDa) and concentration (5% PVA in 50% acetic acid solution) assessed in this study, electrospun nanofibers could not be obtained. Increasing the polymer solution concentration from 30% PVA to 50% PVA led to a transition of nanofiber morphology from beads on string to uniform nanofibers with increasing diameters. Electrospinning of low polymer concentration of 50-85 kDa PVA led to microspheres rather than nanofibers. Incorporation of ciprofloxacin resulted in more uniform and thinner nanofibers due to potential effect of ciprofloxacin as a plasticizer. Extended drug release over a period of time was achieved in case of PVAc nanofibers, while a rapid drug release activity was shown by PVA nanofiber.

Electrospun polymeric nanofiber mats based on poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl acetate) for drug delivery

2019 Spring National Meeting

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