Characterization of PVPK90 core shell nanofibers containing curcumin prepared by emulsion electrospinning process

Abstract

The pharmacological effects of curcumin (CUR) as a polyphenolic ingredient of turmeric affected by its water insolubility, poor bioavailability, and instability. The electrospun nanofibers of hydrophilic biodegradable polymer can be addressed this issue. The current study aimed to investigate the CUR-loaded core-shell PVPK90 nanofibers generated from O/W nanoemulsions. CUR-loaded PVPK90 fibers were prepared based on the central composite design and different levels of drug concentration, flow rate, amount of acetone, and organic phase percentage by electrospinning technique and their diameter and uniformity, tensile strength, wetting and disintegration time were evaluated. Then, DSC, FTIR, XRD, TEM, fluorescence microscopy, and drug release test were carried out on the optimized nanofibers. The formulation containing 6 mg/mL CUR, 30% organic phase, 0.4 mL acetone, and flow rate of 1 mL/h was selected as optimum formulation. The results were confirmed the core-shell bead-free uniform fibers at the nanometer scale. The optimum nanofiber showed a good flexibility, short wetting and disintegrating times as well as the amorphous structure. The drug release pattern indicated the rapid release of the drug within 30 min. Our findings confirm that the O/W emulsion electrospinning-based PVPK90 core-shell nanofiber would be beneficial as a novel delivery system for water insoluble drug.