Development of prolonged drug delivery system using electrospun cellulose acetate/polycaprolactone nanofibers: Future subcutaneous implantation

Abstract

Implantable drug delivery systems (IDDSs) play a vital role in treating chronic diseases by reducing dosing frequency and enhancing drug efficacy due to targeted delivery. In the present study, an IDDS was developed from electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber membranes. The implant core consists of a drug‐loaded CA nanofiber (CA + Vit.D3) enclosed in a rate limiting of the PCL membrane (CA + Vit.D3/PCL). The CA and PCL nanofibrous membranes were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. This research also investigated in‐vitro cytotoxicity and whether the PCL membrane prolonged drug delivery or led to enhanced mechanical properties. A smooth, beadless surface morphology was observed with fiber diameters of 325 ± 101 nm and 333 ± 79 nm for CA and PCL, respectively. In‐vitro drug release and tensile testing showed that surrounding the core's implants with a PCL membrane improved mechanical properties and kinetic drug release. The modulus and tensile strength of CA + Vit.D3/PCL were 161 ± 14 and 13.07 ± 2.5 MPa, respectively—these values were significantly higher than those obtained for CA + Vit.D3 (132 ± 52 MPa and 8.16 ± 2.36 MPa, respectively). The drug release pattern exhibited by CA + Vit.D3 was burst release, which fits the first‐order kinetic model. In contrast, CA + Vit.D3/PCL exhibited slow drug release, which fits the zero‐order kinetic model. In conclusion, based on the outcomes and facility of the technologies outlined in this article, electrospun CA and PCL nanofibers are suitable for developing long‐term IDDSs.

Fast Fabrication of Multifunctional PCL/Curcumin Nanofibrous Membranes for Wound Dressings

“…55 Considering the occurrence of an initial burst, the release mechanism starts with the solubilization of CC present at surface layers (leaching), followed by the release of the CC fraction located internally, which may arise from a diffusional process or possible erosions. Four kinetic models were applied for the proposed PCL/CC system, namely, zero-order, 56 first-order, 57 Korsmeyer−Peppas, 58 and Higuchi models. 7 The fitting parameters related to CC release from PCL/CC for each of these models are summarized in Table S4, whereby it was possible to verify the better correlation with the Korsmeyer− Peppas model.…”

Terbinafine Nanohybrid: Proposing a Hydrogel Carrying Nanoparticles for Topical Release

“…PCL is hydrophobic and its low affinity by the receptor medium together with a storage in the P407 core may have interfered with the release rate. This very slow release can be desired in long-term delivery systems in an implant or even a prothesis with drug release [ 38 ].…”

Multifluid electrospinning for multi-drug delivery systems: pros and cons, challenges, and future directions

“…97 These mechanisms can be estimated by various kinetic models, including Fickian diffusion, 98 which is based on Higuchi, 99 Korsmeyer–Peppas, 100 Hixon-Crowell, and first-order and zero-order reaction models. 101 Since there are many studies in the literature on the kinetic models 102–104 (Fig. 6a and b), this review focuses on the mechanisms related to multi-drug-loaded polymer systems.…”