Preparation of capsaicin-loaded ultrafine fiber film and its application in the treatment of oral ulcers in rats

A drug-loaded diaphragm is an easy-to-use and effective drug delivery system that is often used to treat mouth ulcers. In this study, an ultrafine fiber film loaded with capsaicin was successfully prepared using the electrospinning technology. poly-L-lactic acid and gelatin were selected as the matrix materials to form the composite fiber, and trifluoroethanol was used as a co-solvent for poly-L-lactic acid, gelatin and capsaicin to prepare the spinning solution, which was simple to fabricate. The prepared fiber films were characterized based on their microscopic morphology and tested to derive their mechanical properties. Thereafter, the capsaicin release behavior of the film was investigated. In vitro experiments revealed certain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial abilities while animal experiments revealed that the capsaicin-loaded ultrafine fiber film could promote the healing of oral ulcers in rats. Healing of the tongue tissue in rats administered 10% capsaicin-loaded fiber film was found to be better than that in rats administered the commercial dexamethasone patch. Overall, this development strategy may prove to be promising for the development of oral ulcer patch formulations.