preparation and evaluation of electrospun nanofibers containing pectin and time-dependent polymers aimed for colonic drug delivery of celecoxib

objective(s):the aim of this study was to prepare electrospun nanofibers of celecoxib using combination of time-dependent polymers with pectin to achieve a colon-specific drug delivery system for celecoxib. materials and methods:formulations were produced based on two multilevel 22 full factorial designs. the independent variables were the ratio of drug:time-dependent polymer (x1) and the amount of pec­tin in formulations (x2). electrospinning process was used for preparation of nanofibers. the spinning solutions were loaded in 5 ml syringes. the feeding rate was fixed by a syringe pump at 2.0 ml/h and a high voltage supply at range 10-18 kv was applied for electrospinning. electrospun nanofibers were collected and evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and drug release in the acid and buffer with ph 6.8 with and without pectinase. results:electrospun nanofibers of celecoxib with appropriate morphological properties were produced via electrospinning process. drug release from electrospun nanofibers was very low in the acidic media; while, drug release in the simulated colonic media was the highest from formulations containing pectin. conclusion: formulation f2 (containing drug:ers with the ratio of 1:2 and 10% pectin) exhibited acceptable morphological characteristics and protection of drug in the upper gi tract and could be a good candidate as a colonic drug delivery system for celecoxib.