Electrospun Fibre Composite for Controlled Drug Release

A drug delivery system with sustainable controlled drug release can improve the quality of life of a patient by reducing the side-effects and better absorption of the drug locally. However, the main disadvantageous of this delivery model is the burst release of the drug, which can result in severe health problem, such as toxicity. Here in this study, a new coaxial microfiber has been developed with encapsulated anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, inside the core structure of the coaxial fibre. The core consisting of polyethylene oxide (PEO) carrying the drug was covered with the polylactic acid (PLA)/PEO and shell to prevent the burst release of the drug and provide sustainable release over a prolonged time. The release profiles showed that the burst release was reduced from 20% in control scaffold, core only, to 5% in core-shell structure after 6 hrs. The higher percentage of PLA in the shell composition provides a slower release of ibuprofen, due to the slower degradation of PLA in comparison with PEO. The result indicates the developed structure can be a potential system for the localized release of the various drug system, which leads to a more sustainable and controlled release of the drug over the more extended period and deliver a better outcome along with side-effect prevention.