Ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid loaded electrospun PVP-dextran nanofiber mats for biomedical applications

The aim of this work is to investigate the suitability of electrospinning for biomedical applications and to produce fast-dissolving drug delivery through uniform dextran nanofiber nonwoven maps. To prepare oral fast-dissolving drug delivery nonwoven maps via electrospinning technology, ibuprofen (Ibu) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) as the model drugs, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), dextran T10 (Dext T10) and dextran T40 (Dext T40) as the filament-forming polymer and drug carrier were selected. Morphology of nanofiber samples was characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). SEM images showed homogeneous dispersion of drugs into the polymer blends. The structure analysis made by attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that PVP/dextran and drug blended very well in the nanofibers. The amount of ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid in a nanofiber samples was determined using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that the ibuprofen content in PVP/Dext T40-Ibu and PVP/Dext T10-Ibu nanofiber samples (431.7 +/- 39.7 and 528.3 +/- 24.7 A mu g/mL, respectively) is significantly higher than acetylsalicylic acid content in PVP/Dext T40-ASA and PVP/Dext T10-ASA nanofiber samples (145.5 +/- 5.6 and 168.3 +/- 7.3 A mu g/mL, respectively). Antibacterial properties of the fiber samples containing drug against Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633) were examined. The PVP-drug containing nanofibers resulted in a superior antibacterial activity than PVP/dextran-drug containing nanofibers. PVP/Dext T10 and PVP/Dext T40 nanofibers have the potential to be used as solid dispersions to improve the dissolution profiles of poorly water-soluble drugs and/or fast disintegrating drug delivery systems.