Investigation of drug release from paclitaxel loaded polylactic acid nanofibers

Objective(s): In this study, drug loaded electrospun nanofibrous mats were prepared and drug release and mechanism from prepared nanofibers were investigated.  Materials and Methods: Paclitaxel (PTX) loaded polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning. The effects of process parameters, such as PTX concentration, tip to collector distance, voltage, temperature and flow rate on the mean diameter of electrospun PTX loaded PLA nanofibers were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the fiber morphology and mean fiber diameter of prepared nanofibers. Response surface methodology was used to model the average diameter of electrospun PLA/PTX nanofibers. Results: The predicted fiber diameter was in good agreement with the experimental result. In Vitro drug release in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and acetate buffer for the produced samples showed that diffusion is the dominant drug release mechanism for PTX loaded ubers. Conclusion: Electrospinning was shown to be very promising approach to the formulation of Paclitaxel in order to enhance its release in a sustained and prolonged manner.