The Effect of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Drug-Loaded Electrospun Polymer Fibers

Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

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UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Pharmaceutics 2020, 12(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12020139

Received: 31 December 2019 / Revised: 3 February 2020 / Accepted: 4 February 2020 / Published: 6 February 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Development of Electrospinning for Drug Delivery Volume II)

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Abstract

Electrospinning has emerged as a powerful strategy to develop controlled release drug delivery systems but the effects of post-fabrication solvent vapor annealing on drug-loaded electrospun fibers have not been explored to date. In this work, electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers loaded with the hydrophobic small-molecule spironolactone (SPL) were explored. Immediately after fabrication, the fibers are smooth and cylindrical. However, during storage the PCL crystallinity in the fibers is observed to increase, demonstrating a lack of stability. When freshly-prepared fibers are annealed with acetone vapor, the amorphous PCL chains recrystallize, resulting in the fiber surfaces becoming wrinkled and yielding shish-kebab like structures. This effect does not arise after the fibers have been aged. SPL is found to be amorphously dispersed in the PCL matrix both immediately after electrospinning and after annealing. In vitro dissolution studies revealed that while the fresh fibers show a rapid burst of SPL release, after annealing more extended release profiles are observed. Both the rate and extent of release can be varied through changing the annealing time. Further, the annealed formulations are shown to be stable upon storage. View Full-Text

Keywords: drug delivery system; poly(ε-caprolactone); post-treatment; electrospinning; annealing

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chiu, Y.-J.; Zhang, Z.; Dziemidowicz, K.; Nikoletopoulos, C.-G.; Angkawinitwong, U.; Chen, J.-T.; Williams, G.R. The Effect of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Drug-Loaded Electrospun Polymer Fibers. Pharmaceutics 2020, 12, 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12020139

AMA Style

Chiu Y-J, Zhang Z, Dziemidowicz K, Nikoletopoulos C-G, Angkawinitwong U, Chen J-T, Williams GR. The Effect of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Drug-Loaded Electrospun Polymer Fibers. Pharmaceutics. 2020; 12(2):139. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12020139

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chiu, Yu-Jing, Ziwei Zhang, Karolina Dziemidowicz, Christos-Georgios Nikoletopoulos, Ukrit Angkawinitwong, Jiun-Tai Chen, and Gareth R. Williams. 2020. "The Effect of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Drug-Loaded Electrospun Polymer Fibers" Pharmaceutics 12, no. 2: 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12020139

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The Effect of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Drug-Loaded Electrospun Polymer Fibers

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